The Legend of Zelda: Dreamweaver's Shield
by Light Onthemayo
Summary: After two years of searching, Captain Link and the valiant crew of the airship Island Symphony have found Obeeta, a massive island in the sky sporting a city-like landscape. What looks to be a simple visit in a quest to locate Irleen's people soon turns into one massive living nightmare as Obeeta's nights spring surprise after surprise on the crew of the Island Symphony.
1. On the Horizon

Chapter 1: On the Horizon

 **Prologue Chapters**

…

It felt like it would be a normal morning. The night before had given no indications of a pending event. And the night before that. And the night before _that_ one. But it had been that way for over a month now. One month of sailing. One month of searching. One month… to wonder if he had really gone mad.

To be fair, he had been wondering about that last item for the past two years now. Two years ago, he had been involved in an incident of life-changing, even _world_ -changing proportions. He had lost his first command to a misguided attempt to rescue a princess, a fairytale task which the real world was all too happy to demolish under his feet along with his ship. The real world, however, had apparently forgotten a rule that all airmen had known as a fact of life since their first days on the job: that anything that ever fell to the surface died. Surviving shipwrecks should have been another kind of fable, but it had somehow saved him from certain death, even if he had not been in the best of conditions afterwards. His recovery led him to the defense of a small town on the surface, the same town that had taken him in after he had effectively lost everything he had once had and known.

From there, his sanity _must_ have been questioned by others. He probably had not noticed it at the time, consumed as he had been to get himself and a new friend back home. Looking back on it had always reminded him that he had had very little reason to have survived life on the surface. The colossal, armored insect of the Lost Woods; the homicidal machine of the Iyuk Mountains (made by a member of his future _crew_ even); the lava-guzzling worm of the mines of the Fire Realm; the gargantuan, sand-dwelling fish of the Sand Realm; and the nearly invisible tentacle monster of the Ocean Realm had been the larger threats in a world with Wolfos, Malgyorgs, paralyzing heat, frigid heights, and potential lunatics at every point of civilization he had come across. But he _had_ survived. And then he had gone home by the grace of people whose lives had been changed by him. Some of those people had even become his first crew.

Perhaps returning had been the first sign that he had been losing his mind. What he had expected to be an eventless homecoming had turned into a life of running from the very people he had expected to welcome him with open arms. On top of this revelation had sat the machinations of the same demons that had taken his first command. From port to port, he faced living skeletons clad in armor and blades, humanoid reptiles with a talent for firearms (including one specially designed to double a target's weight with lead), self-aware rock which had gone as far as creating a duplicate of him just to ensure someone's death, and a fake princess made of glass and rage, and each creature had displayed a level of psychosis greater than the previous threat. If not for his crew of mild sanity and great loyalty, his time spent running would have come to an abrupt end.

And then, when everything had finally calmed down, the world had taken a turn for the worst. People had lost their homes; some had even lost their lives. Two islands had been devastated beyond recognition even to this day. And then there was the disappearance of an entire race hidden among the black expanse of an immortal storm. That may have been the first time that he had started doing things that no sane man would ever dream of. He had dove into battle with his fellow sailors against dangerous enemies. He had used ancient magic to bend the roads of his homeland to his will. And then, he had set a trap for one of the most vicious creatures in existence, a creature that had not just done evil as a means of conquest, but had done evil as part of an order which it had been determined to follow for over two hundred years. He had his orders, too: save the princess. In the end, he had accomplished his goal so well that the demon captain, his crew, and his ship had fallen from the sky forever.

During the following two years, however, in the midst of his work and his search, it had sometimes felt as if he had not shaken the demon captain. There had been times when he had found himself in the maw of the horrendous creature or being pursued by its talons as he had been falling from the sky. Each time so far, he had awoken with a start, covered in sweat and suffering from a dry throat. He had tried hard for the past two years to not think back on those events, but that had only ever seemed to bring those memories to the forefront.

Did it mean he was insane? He did not believe so. Maybe a little rattled. A little nervous. He had had reassurances, but the feeling lingered.

 _Kon kon._ "Captain?" asked a man's voice through the door. "You should see this." The captain did not want to respond. He did not even want to rise. He would have been content to remain under his covers for the rest of the morning.

Then came the high-pitched yawn from a miniature bed hanging above his mattress. "Līnca, nùctīpa," the voice then said in a girl's voice. "Laħìna kicī."

He groaned and pulled the quilt off his head, revealing unkempt but bright, blond hair. His deep, blue eyes surveyed the deckhead with the ire only available to those who had to haul themselves out of bed. It took another minute for him to throw the quilt off his thin frame, revealing that he had been sleeping in an almost skin-tight, lime green suit that left his hands, head, and neck exposed. He swung his legs out and sat up on the edge of the bed. Then he stood up and reached for the nearby desk.

His fingers found an oval-shaped amethyst on the desk and pressed down on it. "Irleen," he said with a scratchy throat, "I'm gonna change."

"Got it, Link," the girl's voice from before replied.

Link first relieved himself behind the partition of his cabin. Then he changed into a cleaner body suit of the same color, referred to as "cleaner" because there was little soap to be had on the whole ship for the purposes of laundry. Over that, he put on a pair of brown work trousers and a green, sleeveless tunic around which he fastened a belt with a circular buckle made of pewter depicting an anchor. He used a mirror inside his wardrobe to comb some of the tangles out of his hair and make an effort to at least appear presentable. A few months without a haircut had left his bangs long enough that they had occasionally gotten into his eyes. After putting on a pair of black leather boots, he stepped outside.

The swirl of the wind surrounding the ship tossed his hair about, and he had to hold the door firmly until he closed it. The navy-hued sky indicated that it was still early in the morning with no sign of the sun in sight. He looked out across a weather deck adorned with six masts arranged in two rows in line with the length of the ship. The two fore-masts had their gaff-rigged sails set perpendicular to their direction of travel as if to form one large sail between them. The sails of the main-masts, rigged in the same manner, had been opened at an angle halfway between the fore sails and the straight-back-set sails of the mizzen-masts. This arrangement made great use of the Sky Lines, the trails of great, permanent winds that allowed airships to travel about in the sky high above the world. Link could see that the ship was still in the Sky Line that they had been traveling for the past month, revealed by the small, blue bits of magic that could occasionally be seen as well as the soft, deep howl as the Sky Line encompassed the ship.

Unusual for the crew, everyone stood at the bulwark on the starboard side. While Link admitted that there was not much to do during the course of a regular day, the morning crew should have been inspecting the rigging in case any of the lines needed to be replaced. In addition, only seven people should have been on the main deck in the morning; around twenty people appeared to be on deck this morning, a few of them the off-duty engine room crew. Link only knew of one thing that could possibly cause the crew to crowd one side of the deck. So he walked toward the bow and ascended the five steps to the forecastle. Someone standing at the base of the steps hollered out "Captain on-deck", alerting the helmsman. Link would normally berate the more experienced sailor who had done so because he hated the tradition; it had regularly felt to him that the crew had to speak up to account for the fact that people overlooked him because of his height. Today was different, though.

Because they had found land.

The helmsman adjusted a control, and the ship slowly descended. The hull jerked beneath the crew's feet as it dropped outside of the Sky Line. The sails followed shortly after, providing the ship a stable loft high above a blue ocean visible to the edges of the world.

Then both young men looked out at the sky off the starboard bow. The island appeared much clearer without the incredible torrents of wind and shimmer of magic warping their view. Without a sun, the distant island was cast in a deep, grey shadow that blocked out most of its features. The general silhouette of the island bore the feeling of a mirror; the topside sported the sharp angles of tall, manmade spires flanked by shorter squares of structure while the bottom bore stalactite-like spears of bare, jagged earth with a prominent formation at the center. Where the highest tower touched the sky appeared about as high into the air as the lowest point that the earth below the island stretched. The crew seemed to stare for hours, and it seemed even more so as the sun rose to cast orange light across the bottom surface of the island. But they appeared to be alone in the sky. Any island in Hyrule would be surrounded by small junk airships while the larger vessels crowded the ports or occupied the air on their way into the Sky Lines; here, the island sported no such signs of modern civilization with its barren skies. And while they may still have been too far out, no one on the crew could see any sort of banner to indicate who may have claimed the island.

Link took in a deep breath as he tried to sort out his feelings. His heart had at first pounded with excitement. Any airman would have had the same reaction. Having sailed for a month created a thrill for the regular airman. For a captain, it brought about the knowledge that not only had one month of work finally paid off, but that the crew would soon be at rest and experience a new port that they could tell their friends and family about in the years to come.

However, the island's bereft appearance left a bad knot in his stomach. The entire reason that they had set out on the journey in the first place was to find the Sorians, an older race who had brought about the sky kingdom that was now Hyrule and created the Sky Lines that hundreds of airships used every day. The island looked as if it did not even sport a population of birds, let alone the bird-like people to which one of his own crew belonged. Even if it was so early in the morning, he still felt unnerved by the bare skies. He silently hoped that things would improve as they approached, that the regular signs of civilization were merely hidden behind the shadowy cloak of a slowly waning twilight.

"Looks deserted."

The helmsman's youthful voice broke into Link's thoughts, but he managed to avoid any visible start. He glanced over at the redhead. Then he looked back out at the island with a newfound dread welling up inside his stomach.

"Let's hope not," Link told his best friend as he watched sunlight finally reflect off the tallest spire of the island. "This is our only stop."


	2. An Old Map, A New Land

Chapter 2: An Old Map, A New Land

…

About one month ago…

…

"I still think this is a bad idea," Irleen said as she hovered over Leynne's head. "It's only a matter of time before you set our _tree_ on fire."

"Ouch," Leynne hissed upon burning his finger with a match. He dropped it outside the lantern he had been trying to light and stomped on it to make sure it was out. He lowered the lantern's outer, metal cover once he determined that it was lit and placed his throbbing finger in his mouth for a moment. "That's why we'h using lantehns with metal casings ratheh than glass," he replied in a Hovela accent, an odd manner of speech more common to the surface world. He leaned over to inspect the dim contraption. "Not that this seems to be very effective."

"You have to open the slots on the sides," Link said from his position further down the stairs, adjusting the strap of the backpack he was carrying.

"Ah," Leynne uttered as he opened one of the slots on the side and nearly blinded himself. The light illuminated a slice of Leynne's blue dress shirt and black slacks before he picked it up. He shone the light on Link. "Is this wheh you finished last time?"

"No, it was further down," Irleen replied.

"Are you sure?" Link asked as he jabbed a finger at a marking on the bare, wooden wall in front of him. "I recognize this word."

"Link, that's the word 'water'," Irleen told him. "It's probably written about two hundred times on _this_ side of the tree." Link took another look at the wall by the light of his own lantern. After he had determined that she was right, he began following Leynne down the stairs.

Irleen fluttered by in the lead, a small, winged ball of green light that shone on the wall as she passed by. It was only natural that she could remember where they had last looked at the carvings of this wall: this was her home. In particular, this was the inside of a massive tree that sat almost in the center of the island which had once been home to the Sorian people. Once lit by natural light, the interior had been left in the dark for the past two years since the Sorians disappeared. The hollowed interior had been decorated with spiral staircases that wound about the inner wall. These staircases had been grown out of the wall, leaving them with natural connections to the tree itself rather than be put together by hand. It was one of the features of Sorian architecture: everything was _grown_ from its source, never _built_. This, some of Link's crew had decided, gave an otherworldly feel to the island. But then, that could also be expected due to the complete desertion of the island. Nothing had remained of the former residents. Books, furniture, eating utensils and dishware, stored foods… the island had been picked so clean that they had yet to find a crumb. All there was to be found was dust, and in those two years, even the air inside the great tree sported some as revealed by the afternoon light shining in from the outside. That light would probably have never found its way in if the branches outside had sported leaves. It was hard to believe that the tree was still alive, but it was something that Irleen had always seemed to reaffirm to her own relief.

In the past two years, Link and Irleen had turned the depicted history of these walls into a sort of archeological study. It was not easy; even as a native, Irleen still had some difficulty with the older forms of her language which occasionally appeared. Their progress had been further slowed by the timetable Link had worked out for his airship. Maybe they could get in a few hours, maybe they could afford a whole day. But that was between jobs which kept them busy for a month or so as they took every opportunity they could to make money and rebuild the Skyriders company's reputation. The company needed the help desperately, especially after it had been drafted into a navy two years ago by a lunatic creature posing as the Princess of Hyrule. Irleen needed help greatly as well, having been left behind after calamity caused by said fake princess's companions had forced the Sorians to flee. Oddly enough, though, the island itself had never been assaulted or touched. These days, royal decree and a pair of frigates kept all but Link's ship from ever docking at the island.

"Hold up a minute," Irleen said. Leynne and Link stopped and directed their lantern light on the wall near Irleen. She backed away to examine the wall for a moment. "Okay, I think this is it."

"Yeah, right there," Link said as he pointed to a large group of jagged, free-form shapes on the wall. "That cluster of… weird things."

Leynne squinted at the shapes. "What _am_ I looking at?" he asked.

"Well, if we read this part of the wall right," Irleen said, "this is how the old Sorian lands looked before the islands drifted apart. Right after Cunimincus broke the land."

"Yes, I believe that I've undehstood the stohy behind the islands as they ah now," Leynne said. "How does this rate _my_ attention?"

"Because not _all_ the islands are _here_ ," Link said.

"We know every island _within_ Hyrule," Irleen continued. "But those aren't _all_ the islands of the original Sorian land. The land was much larger than this. The only reason that the islands we _know_ are all together is that they just happened to be close enough when the Sky Lines were first put up."

"So the proposition is that the Sorians went to an island _not_ in the kingdom," Leynne reasoned with a skeptical tone.

"You mentioned before that the Sorians might have found another island up here," Link said.

"Yes, I did," Leynne agreed. Then he pointed out, "Howeveh, I was undeh the assumption that any such island outside of the kingdom would be too fah away foh any ship to reach."

"More than likely," Link replied.

Leynne took a better look at the jagged map they had shown him. "Weh we to make such a jouhney," he spoke up, "how would we know which island? Foh that matteh, how would we know _wheh_ to find it?"

"That's why we brought you along," Link said. "If you made a rough copy of this map, do you think you could figure out how the islands drifted apart?"

Leynne had to take a moment to consider Link's proposal. "You mean to study the trends behind how the island drifted? See what kind of pattehn appeahs and make an educated guess from theh?" Link nodded. Leynne let out a sigh and contemplated the map again. "I suppose I can try. But I'll need a copy of this map."

Link slid the backpack off his shoulder and offered it to Leynne. "We thought you'd say that," he said. "There's some paper and charcoal in there for you."

Leynne gave Link an annoyed look that was barely visible in the low light. "If you'd intended such, why didn't you just copy the map youhself?" he asked as he accepted the bag.

"It's a little hard to do when we're the only one's here," Link said. "Besides, I'd feel better if _you_ did it; I'd worry about messing up the map somehow."

Leynne carefully set his lantern on a nearby step so he had a free hand to open the backpack. "Youh anxieties seem to be limitless," he commented as he pulled out a rolled sheet of paper.

"You'll find out when you have your own ship and have to handle a crew full of _nuts_ ," Link replied as he stepped out of Leynne's way.

"Thank you, my cuhrent employment already provides me with the experience," Leynne told him. He moved closer to the wall and dug further into the backpack until he found the bundle of charcoal sticks at the bottom. "Theh ah times when I wondeh if I wouldn't do betteh as a _babysitteh_."

"Or a father?" Irleen asked.

Leynne gave her an annoyed look. "Nice to know that the details of ouh private lives ah a secret to _everyone_."

"Well, you know how it is," Irleen said as she bobbed from side to side. "You and Dubbl talk about it, Dubbl tells Dholit, Dholit tells _everybody_."

"Nobody told _me_ ," Link spoke up, sounding a little irritated. "Is something wrong?"

"It isn't anything serious," Leynne said.

"Kids aren't serious enough for you?" Irleen asked.

Leynne shot her a glare. Then he told Link, "With the amount of time we've spent wohking, Dubbl has been troubled by the fact that she is not pregnant yet. We've had so little pehsonal time lately…" He took in a deep breath. "It isn't something I should buhden you with, Link."

"Leynne, if you guys need some time off," Link said with a sympathetic tone, "I can arrange some shore leave for you two. The crew knows the routine. Flower can fill in while you're gone."

Leynne sighed. "Pehhaps aftehwahds," he said as he used his thumb to scratch his brow. "You have me intrigued by this undehtaking, and I would like to see it through."

"Whatever works for you," Link told him. Leynne dropped the backpack and placed the paper over the wall. Then he rubbed one stick of charcoal over the paper while Link held up the lantern for him to see. Leynne paused to look over his work. Then he tilted his head at something toward the bottom of his new map. "What is it?" Link asked him.

"I cannot be cehtain," Leynne said as he twisted out of the way. With one hand holding the paper to the wall, he pointed with the charcoal and asked, "Ihleen, is this Sorian script?"

Irleen brought herself closer until she was almost touching the paper. "Yeah, that is," she replied. "I'm surprised you saw that; I _completely_ missed it."

Leynne shifted the map aside and felt the wall. "It's shallow," he said. "It probably wasn't visible until I copied it."

"What's it say?" Link asked.

"'Lost Library'," Irleen read aloud.

"Lost Library…" Link repeated. Then he asked, "Haven't we seen that word before?"

"I _think_ so. The past few times we've been here, in fact."

"Is theh some significance to that?" Leynne asked as he carefully rolled the map.

"You know, there may _be_ ," Irleen told him. "When my people left, they took _everything_ , right?"

"Ostensibly," Leynne said while Link nodded in agreement.

"Well, with all the literature and manuals that went with them, they would need a place to put all that. Right?"

"You think they would've used this 'Lost Library'?" Link asked while Leynne unrolled the map to examine it again. Leynne had to turn so that light from Link's lantern illuminated the paper.

"Why not?" Irleen asked. "It would be easier to expand the Lost Library than to grow another one. You can't just _leave_ valuable books out in the elements."

"If I may add," Leynne spoke up. He showed Link the map. "The island in question appeahs to be the lahgest on this map. If the Sorians felt that they had to move, and they knew wheh this 'Lost Library' was, even if we weh to exclude the need to relocate theih literatuh, the island _itself_ would be an ideal place to resettle. No associated Sky Lines, no Hylian settlehs."

"So… did we just have a _breakthrough_?" Irleen asked with excitement tingeing the question.

"I think we _did_ ," Link replied.

"We need some fohm of confihmation, though," Leynne said. "We'h assuming that this island still exists. A visit to the technowohks could help us discoveh wheh it might be." He looked down at the map again. "Give me a few houhs, and I'll see what I can produce."

"Right," Link said. "In the meantime, we can start moving toward Sagacity Island; we can figure out where to go from there."


	3. My Crew (In Case You Forgot)

Chapter 3: My Crew (In Case You Forgot)

…

Link decided to change his gear before disembarking. He switched his boots to a more worn pair with pastel-blue wing patches stitched to the ankles. He removed his naval belt so that he had room for a belt holding a wide-barrel pistol and brass shells marked with one of four colors. He slung another belt lower on his waist, this one carrying a shortsword with a triangular guard that fit with the bronze locket of the sheath to form a diamond, a grip covered in rings of leather, and a steel disk on the pommel. He attached a pouch to the back of the sword belt. For his left wrist, he clamped on a gold bracelet that held a ruby inside which a single letter of the Sorian alphabet had been embedded. Then he stuffed a pair of gemstones and a scraggly, blue feather into his pocket.

The last thing he grabbed was a pointed cap that was sitting on his desk. Before he put it on, he looked over at the bed. "Ready to go?" he asked.

Irleen emerged from the smaller bed hanging over the foot of Link's bed. She let out a yawn before asking, "Go where? What's with the gear?"

"We found the Lost Library."

Irleen suddenly shook side to side, producing a bell-like jingle. "We _found_ it?"

Link grinned at her. "I sure hope so," he said. "It'd be embarrassing to have found a different island on this Sky Line." He gestured toward his head. "Let's go." Irleen fluttered to him and landed in his messy hair. Link then pulled his cap onto his head. It felt a little strange; he had not worn the cap for some time. "Hmm. I think I need a haircut."

"I've been telling you that for _five months_ , Link," Irleen said.

 _Whump!_ Link turned to look at the door, and Irleen peered out from under his cap. "What was that?" she asked.

"Let's go see."

When Link stepped back outside, he saw that the port mizzen sail had collapsed to the deck. Two airmen sat against the starboard mizzen-mast, both looking a little exhausted. Link watched as Chief Dubbl looked over some broken pieces of rigging laid out on the deck. She wore a pale-blue button-up shirt with the sleeves torn off and a pair of work trousers sporting a few holes. Her black, braided hair had been hooked back on itself so that it appeared to be a loop behind her head.

"Good mohning, Captain." Link turned to the stairs to his left as Lieutenant Leynne, his second-in-command, stepped down onto the main deck. He had his black hair cropped short, and he wore a leather waistcoat over a blue, long-sleeve shirt and black slacks. "We will be docked at the island in a few minutes; theh's quite a bit moh distance between it and the Sky Line than I'd fihst thought."

Link nodded. Then he indicated the fallen sail. "What happened here?"

"Dubbl?" Leynne called.

Dubbl stood up and crossed her arms. "Ze chainbla—chain _plate_ bloke," she hollered back, her face twisting in annoyance with the failed attempt to pronounce a "p" once again.

Link and Leynne stepped closer to look at the rigging. Leynne gave a sigh and asked, "Is this the one with that spring we replaced befoh we left?"

Dubbl nodded. "I told you. Sbl—… sbl—… Ze zing, not right shabe. Shabe… shape?"

"Theh was nothing wrong with it," Leynne told her as he leaned over to look at the sail.

"Ze zing was too _stlong_ ," Dubbl argued.

"The spring was fine," Leynne replied in a calm tone. "I _asked_ you to decrease tension on the line."

"Tension not ploblem!"

"Guys," Link said in a terse voice. He looked between the two of them for a moment. Then he asked, "Dubbl, can you repair it?"

Dubbl looked up at the top of the mast. "I can fix ze chainplate," she said.

"I think ouh cuhrent problem would be finding a new spring device foh the boom," Leynne said, indicating the subject to Link. "The sail didn't retract all the way. The sudden release of the sail must have damaged the intehnal mechanisms."

"How long would it take to fix?" Link asked him.

"Depends on how long it takes foh me to find a wohkshop. I'll have to build the pahts from theih broken components; I don't have the original plans heh."

"Where be zey?" Dubbl asked.

"I left them at the main office, wheh they would be safe in case we needed them."

"Well, it sounds like we need them," Irleen pointed out from under Link's cap.

Link glanced over at the opposite mizzen-mast. Then he told Leynne and Dubbl, "Disassemble the boom so you have the parts you need. Dubbl, have the starboard sail lowered so we're not unbalanced. It'll slow us down, but we'll run on four sails for now."

"Yes, Captain," Leynne replied while Dubbl gave in a business-like snap, "Ay'a, Captain."

Link turned and crossed the deck to the starboard mizzen-mast. "Are you all right?" he asked the Hylian airman sitting on the deck.

"I think so, Captain," the man replied, one hand holding his head. Beneath his thick mop of chestnut-brown hair, Link thought he could see a trickle of blood. He looked at his hand, and then he glanced down to find a dark stain on the shoulder of his regulation blue airman's tunic. "It looks worse than it is, sir."

"I'm sure it is," Link replied. "What happened, Gillam?"

"We were doing one last round on the deck before the rest of the day crew got up," Gillam replied. "Twali here was standing under the boom looking up at it. I tried to ask her what went wrong, and that's when the thing just _snapped_. I shoved her outta the way, but _damn_ are these lines heavy. I'd've rather taken an anvil to my head."

Link looked to Twali. She appeared a little disheveled with her maroon work shirt halfway tucked into her trousers and a few strands of her bright red hair dangling loose from her ponytail. "Twali, waba hwicikak mah?"

Twali gave her head an exhausted nod. "Ay'a, Kyabtin, ay'a."

"Waba nadmaysohak mah?" Link asked.

"'Olwu 'imayn noxb," Twali answered, pointing to the side of her head.

Link nodded. "Waba yayhwotak 'an talb mah?"

Twali shook her head and said, "Na', Kyabtin."

Link turned back to Gillam. "How about you? Do you need to see the doc?"

Gillam started. "No, no, sir," he quickly said. "I'll-I'll clean it up."

Link narrowed his eyes as he looked Gillam over. It occurred to him that Gillam looked a little haggard with dark circles just on the edge of forming under his baggy eyes. "Now for my next question," he told Gillam. "Do you need a pillow?"

Gillam sighed. "Sorry, sir. Been having a hard time getting to sleep. That's why I was up early."

"Why don't you go have the doc patch you up," Link told him.

Gillam stood up. "Aye aye, sir."

Then Link sighed. "And then take three hours." Gillam, in the middle of helping Twali to her feet, gave Link a confused look. "If you can't get sleep then, take another three. Find another airman to fill in."

Gillam's mouth opened as he gave a silent stammer. "But… but, Captain—"

"Do I have to make it an order?" Link interrupted, attempting to emphasize his position by raising one eyebrow. However, he only earned a confused scowl due to both eyebrows going up. So he continued, "Or do I have to have Airman _Layna_ put you to sleep for the rest of the day?"

Gillam swallowed hard at the prospect of having fifty needles stabbed into his neck, the current rumor as to how Airman Layna usually operated under Link's order. He opened his mouth to argue some more. Link halfway expected it. Gillam, like a few others on his crew, was a career airman, an airman who would prefer the grunt work to even the prospect of command. His thick, muscular frame was a better indication than his attitude. However, even without ever experiencing command, Gillam _did_ understand Link's priorities. So he gave a defeated sigh and attempted to wave over a passing airman. "No, sir," he told Link. "I'll go quietly."

"Good," Link replied with a grin on his face. "Because I'd hate to have to sacrifice an airman just to wake her up." Gillam rolled his eyes as he crossed the deck to stop the airman he had failed to signal. Link looked to Twali and said, "Fizuban taris."

"Ay'a, Kyabtin," Twali replied with a salute. Link gave her a disappointed look because she had used her right hand. She quickly caught herself and switched hands so that Link could dismiss her with the right-handed salute.

"It's too bad you never learned Sorian," Irleen commented as Link started for the forecastle. "I'm a little jealous that you talk to the Gelto in their native language, but not me."

"That's what you have Cale for, isn't it?" Link asked his brow. "Besides, I think I've picked up a few words of it. Eeka? Reeta? Kanee? Ip? Kipaekwaehtoo. That's a long one."

"Your pronunciation is crap," she chided him while he responded to a salute from a deckhand crossing his path. "The only one you got right is 'one'. And you're lucky to remember 'Technoworks' just because I got Cale in the habit of mixing it with the Hylian translation."

"I'm _trying_ ," Link said as he stepped onto the forecastle.

His utterance caught the attention of the helmsman and the deck supervisor standing nearby. The red-haired helmsman, with a physical appearance similar to his captain if a little taller, wore a blue duster over an old, off-white shirt and brown work trousers. His hair, having been whipped about by the Sky Line for the past half a day, was a tangled mat. The deck supervisor was a large man sporting thick muscles and a round face bare of hair. Over a grey body suit, he wore a blue airman's tunic and a pair of worn, black slacks.

"Trying what, Captain?" the large man asked.

"Never mind," Link told him. The large man shrugged and returned his attention to the island beyond the ship's bow. "Report."

"On a courssssse…" the helmsman said, pausing to check the compass built into the post between the two wheels that comprised the helm. "Almost due south from the Sky Line. Wind's…" Again, he had to pause as he turned to check a gauge on the instrument panel behind him. "Heading south, too."

"Estimate docking in about twenty minutes, Captain," Link's deck chief added. He lowered the twin-telescope device, known to them as a "duoscope", from his face and turned to directly address Link. "But I already don't like how this looks. There's not a soul in sight."

Link shrugged. "It's early in the morning," he pointed out.

"Even Sorians stir early in the morning," Irleen commented from Link's hat. "Are there lights or anything?"

"Not a sight," the chief replied.

"Do you at least have a dock for us?" Link asked.

"Yeah, but we don't have any dockers in sight, either."

Link crossed his arms and gave the chief a smug grin. "Well, then, Mister Flower, it looks like we'll be repeating our first trip to Forelight Island. So you might wanna go find a rope you can make into a lasso."

Flower gave a defeated grin and shook his head. "As long as we aren't sailing through any more storms…" he remarked as he turned and walked past Link toward the stairs.

"Agreed!" the helmsman said in a loud sigh of relief.

"Big deal, Line," Irleen told the helmsman. "You only had to sail through it _once_."

"Line," Link said, "one of our booms just broke, so remind me that we need to find a smith's shop or something on the island. Leynne'll need it to fix the boom."

"Is _that_ what that sound was?" Line asked, glancing over his shoulder across the main deck. Then he gave Link a wide-eyed stare. "Waaaaait a min—Why am _I_ going?!"

"Why are you _complaining_?" Link asked in turn, his hands helping illustrate his confusion. "You've been whining for a month about being stuck on this ship. _Now_ you wanna loiter around here?"

Line gave him a disbelieving look. "Yeah!"

"I want you with me in case we have to split up," Link explained. "If we find any more Sorians, there's always a chance someone will recognize one of us. Besides, I figure it'd be better to get you off the ship before the crew chucks you into the engine." He looked back across the deck as Line slumped against the wheel. "Switch over to the engine," he told Line. "Then get changed and… see if you can find Cale."

Line let out a weak laugh. "Makes me glad this ship only has three closets," he said as Link started walking forward.

Link descended to the beakhead. Then he carefully stepped onto the safety netting around the bowsprit while holding onto a forestay. His eyes searched the surface of the massive island before them. Now that the sun had had time to rise, he could see buildings that grew taller the closer they stood toward the center. Most of the smaller buildings were normal, square-shaped buildings, sometimes with a sloped roof. But the tallest towers in the center barely reached above the surrounding buildings before they turned into pyramids or cones easily three times the base height. The centermost building looked as if it did not even try to keep its walls vertical; its outer structure, wider than the surrounding spires, already tapered inward from the ground and ended in a flat-topped roof with a single pole reaching into the sky. Link then directed his eyes to the docking area the _Island Symphony_ slowly approached. It was a massive, open area covered in large, stone blocks. There were a few small buildings dotting the landscape. Off to starboard, Link watched as the ship passed an outcrop of rock and earth jutting out from this port area, upon which a lighthouse had been built. He looked to port, but he saw no other lighthouses within immediate sight.

Link turned and stepped back onto the beakhead. As he set foot back onto the forecastle, he asked, "What do you think?"

"No one's in sight," Irleen replied. "But that's the _least_ of my concerns."

"There's more?" Link asked in genuine confusion.

"Link. You've seen my home almost a dozen times now. What part of that looked like _Sorian_ architecture?"

Link, giving a nod to the airman who was now manning the helm in Line's place, froze mid-step. His face drooped into an expression of dawning realization, and he turned back toward the island. Square buildings? Stone blocks covering a large, open area? A _lighthouse_!? Why had he not noticed it before? Those were all buildings.

Sorians did not _build_ their homes; they _grew_ them. In two years, Link had never seen a _Sorian_ -built home. Every living space, every place made for storage, sleep, or just lounging around, was always grown from the native trees. The library underneath the large tree at the center of Forelight Island had been cleared of space within the trunk without any sort of cutting, sawing, or sanding. Even _bookshelves_ were merely grown out of the walls.

"Captain?" Link spun around in response to Airman Brandon's question. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Link said. He gave his head a small shake, trying not to rattle Irleen in the process. "Carry on."

"Yessir," Brandon replied, his eyes following Link as he descended to the main deck.

"My Captain?"

Link stopped at the bottom of the stairs and let his head hang for a moment. Then he turned his head to give Airman Dholit a sidelong glare. Dholit, being a few years older than Link, stood an extra head taller than him. Her long, brilliant, red hair had been tied back into a pair of long, slender pigtails while her bangs, having recently been shortened, formed a curtain for her bright, amber eyes. She wore what could loosely be called a "shirt"; it was a small top of red fabric that covered her from her collarbone to just underneath her ample bust with small, square pieces of cloth covering her shoulders. Her trousers (which she had called "harem trousers") were the stretchy material from a tunic waistband sewn into the waist of a pair of trousers that bagged outward the further down they went until they were tightly cuffed around the ankles. She never wore boots; her shoes were some type of either leather or fabric that had been dyed a glittering gold.

"Yes. Dholit." Link's words were slow and terse, meant to indicate to her that any sort of antics were out of the question.

She read his mood. He could tell because the smile on her face turned into a smug look. "Oh, come now, My Captain," she told him. "I should not like to solicit youh attention when we ah on the eve of an impohtant event."

"You said the same thing during my parents' wedding," Link pointed out.

Her grin became wider. "And did I lie?"

"My dad threatened to use my _carcass_ to scrub the _Grand Sails_ ' keel if I didn't get you away from him. You _barely_ danced around the truth then."

"Yes, well," she said, putting on a serious tone, "befoah my past antics bah me from fuhthah contact with you, I would like to know what kind of dangah you anticipate."

Link sighed and glanced over his shoulder as the _Island Symphony_ began to turn. "I don't know. We haven't seen anyone on shore yet."

"Should you like to have Layna in youh pahty?"

Link raised an eyebrow and glanced over his shoulder again just as the open area of port came into view. "That's a lot of open ground for her to try to hide in," he pointed out.

"Oh, please," Irleen spoke up. "You two could be locked in an empty room together, and she'd _still_ be able to hide."

"Oooooh," Dholit purred. "What do you foahsee as the result of _myself_ being locked into a room with My Captain?"

"You know, Dholit?" Irleen said. "I've said it _plenty_ before, and I'm gonna say it again. I do _not_ want to know where the hell Link found you."

"Okay, that's enough," Link said with a bored tone. "Dholit, have Layna join the shore party. Feel free to let her know that she doesn't _have_ to stay hidden the whole time."

"I will infohm heh," Dholit said, "but I cannot help the impression that heh hiding all the time is moah of an expression of heh shyness than heh training."

"We've known that for a while," Irleen called to Dholit's back as the latter walked away.

Link turned just in time to see Flower come back onto the deck from the starboard staircase and followed him to the bulwark. They both looked over the edge at the closest area of the port. To their fortune, the very edge of the port was a jagged rock edge with thick, wooden mooring pylons planted into the ground. The stone slabs comprising the majority of the nearby area simply ended and allowed the rock to peer from underneath, as if the slabs had either never been laid down or had fallen over the edge with time.

"The edge looks solid enough, Captain," Flower said as he dropped part of the rope in his arms onto the deck. "Not sure about those pylons, though. I don't know that I'd trust them."

"Well, give one a good _tug_ once you rope it," Link suggested. "We'll have the rest tested after we get ashore."

"Along with a few other things…" Irleen murmured, a statement barely audible to Link as he watched Flower heave a loop over the side.


	4. Royal Visitor

Chapter 4: Royal Visitor

…

About one month ago…

…

Link sat on the front edge of his desk as he talked to the person sitting in the chair on the other side. Well, an _image_ of the person.

Princess Zelda sat with a dignified poise appropriate to her station: back straight against the back of the chair and hands clasped in her lap. But whereas one would expect a formal outfit like a dress, Zelda wore a combination of tunic and work trousers over a full-body thermal suit similar to Link. Her long hair was tied into a ponytail, and a pair of pins held a few strands to the sides to frame her face. Perhaps the most striking thing of all was that the princess, her clothing, her hair, even her skin, were all varying shades of pale-blue. It was an effect of one of Irleen's magic gems, one which had originally allowed the user to understand Link's crew. During the crisis two years ago, Zelda's then-unknown habit of performing miracles had given her the ability to modify the gem until she could manifest herself within Link's vision. It had not been an easy process to get used to; most often, Zelda would announce herself in ways that would cause Link to jump out of his skin and, by extension, unnerve the crew.

This visit, however, had been planned. A little. Zelda did not have any means of scheduling with Link, but she averted her usual habit of startling him by appearing to him on the deck outside. Their standing agreement was that he would excuse himself to his cabin so that his crew did not have to watch him having a conversation with himself.

"So," the princess said after having listened to Link's latest report on their progress, "where is this new island?"

"We just confirmed its location with the technoworks underneath Might Island," Link answered. "There's a single, uncharted Sky Line that winds around north of here and West Iron Island. Leynne says that the island is probably about a month away on the Sky Line."

"How is it that a Sky Line has not been charted before?" Zelda asked. "I thought that _all_ Sky Lines through the kingdom had been charted."

Link nodded as he slid his thigh off the desk. "It took us a while to notice it, too." He pushed away from the desk and stepped up to the map table nearby. After looking through the pile of notes and drawings on the table, he picked up a local map and held it up to show her the penciled-in line running across the printed parchment. "We actually used this line a couple years ago when we were running from Captain North, but we didn't really think about where it came from. As far as we can tell, it was first noticed after we had returned the Sky Lines with the Might Island technoworks. It goes, uh, west off the map for a bit, and then, according to the _technoworks_ , it hooks around and leads south to this new island."

"This new island which… is actually a long-lost _library_?"

Link set down the map and shrugged. "Uh… yeah, something like that. We've looked over our notes from that tree on Forelight Island. There's not much mention about the island itself, but the _library_ was supposed to have a lot of literature that went missing when Cunimincus broke the islands apart. We think that, if the Sorians _are_ still here in the sky, they would've gone there."

"Do you have the means to _make_ such a journey?" Before Link could answer, Zelda then giggled at him. "Oh, perhaps I have forgotten that I am speaking with the 'Hero of Journeys'."

"Huh." Link scratched at his brow and said in an aside voice, "Well, you're remembering better than I am." He cleared his throat and told her, "Leynne's figuring our supplies now. We won't have enough space to store things for the journey _back_ , but we figure on being able to resupply on this new island. The _rotten_ thing is we won't have Lidago or Helo with us."

"They are important members of your crew. Why are they being left behind?"

"Eeh, it was… it was _Helo_ 's decision. It sucks, but I also appreciate his reasoning."

"What reasoning?"

"Well, _mostly_ that carrying two Gorons on a month-long journey without any supply stops on the way would be too much of a strain on the ship's supplies."

"But I thought that the Gorons only consumed rocks."

Link nodded. "They do. And that was Helo's point. In addition to carrying two Gorons, we'd have to haul around a month's supply of rocks for them to eat. That sort of weight adds up."

Zelda nodded her understanding. "The ship, whether running on its engine or inside the Sky Line, would slow down from the extra weight, and it would create a problem with storage space. Still, it is rather disappointing to not have two long-running members of your crew along. But, if they should happen to find their way to Castle Island, I should like to meet them again."

"Well, they shipped out on the _Sailwind_ this morning. The company's gonna assign them some shore duty while we're away, but I'll see about relaying your invitation."

"That would be wonderful. If they would contact Governor Lore's office, I am certain that she could handle the arrange—."

 _Kon kon kon._ "Captain, ah you available?"

Link and Zelda exchanged helpless smiles. "What is it, Leynne?" Link then called to the door.

"Crew assignment," Leynne replied through the door.

Link moved to his desk and opened up a drawer. He found the small book he was using as a crew roster, although it took him an extra moment to tug it out from under his copy of the shipping record. "C'mon in," he called as he set the book on the desk.

Leynne opened the door and directed four tunic-clad Skyrider airmen into Link's cabin. Three of them looked to be in their early thirties; the fourth could not have been much older than twenty. Two of the older men sported thick, muscular frames and beards. The third older man had a little more fat than muscle and a round baby face, at least that was Link's first thought. The youngest man was scrawny, like he had not eaten for months.

Leynne stepped forward and turned over a small bunch of papers. "New transfehs from the _Bold Horizons_ ," he told Link. "Two deckhands, two engine hands."

"Is that Mister Gillam?" Zelda asked just as Link began to read the transfer notice from the captain of the _Bold Horizons_. "It cannot be…"

Link, without thinking how odd it would look, turned in response to her surprised tone. "You know one of them?" he asked what Leynne and the new airmen perceived to be an empty chair.

"Mister Gillam, the man on the far right," Zelda replied, pointing. "He is Sir Gilliam's younger brother."

Link looked up at the man she had indicated, the second-largest with a full beard. "You're Sir Gilliam's brother?" he asked.

Airman Gillam, his face already contorted with confusion, gained a spooked look. "You know he's my _brother_?" he asked.

Leynne, also spooked, asked, "You know his _brotheh_?"

"Wuuuuuh…" Link droned when he realized he had just made a mistake. "Uh—yeah! Yeah, it's the whole, uh…" He used a hand to indicate his own face while he struggled with the words. "It's-it's family resemblance."

"Uh… yeah…" Gillam replied, uncertain eyes cast to one side. "I-I get that a lot."

Zelda giggled. "Sorry, Link," she said before placing a hand on her mouth.

"I hope you don't mind, Captain," Gillam spoke up, "but I requested this assignment. Gilliam told me about you, and I wanted to see for myself. So when I heard you were looking for some new airmen, I asked Captain Tomlin for a transfer."

"Ah," Link replied, glancing down at the paperwork in his hand. "Well, I don't know what you're expecting, Airman. We've been routine ever since what happened two years ago."

Gillam shrugged. "Call it a hunch."

Link watched him scratch at his furry face. "Beard itching you?"

"Lice, Captain."

Link grimaced, and Leynne and the other three airmen took a step away from him. "Make sure you get that treated," Link told him. "Otherwise we'll _all_ be scratching our heads by the end of the month."

"Are we going it slow for the next month, Captain Link?" the other bearded airman asked.

Link shook his head. "Not the plan. Airman…?"

"Brandon, sir."

"Captain," Leynne spoke up. "Considering the natuh of ouh next voyage, now might be the best time to infohm them."

Link nodded. "That's a good point. You four should know that we won't be doing things _too_ routine for the next two months, at least. We'll be traveling out of the kingdom."

"To the surface, right?" the young airman asked, a sudden eagerness in his eyes.

Link and Leynne exchanged an awkward glance. "No," Leynne told the airman in a flat tone.

"Our voyage is _outside_ Skyriders' business," Link said.

"As well as the kingdom," Leynne added. This caused the four airmen to give him synchronized looks of bewilderment. "Foh the next two months, we will be traveling to an island beyond any map on the new Sky Line neah Might Island."

"As in… out there," the young airman said, pointing out the window. "Where _no_ ship has ever returned from. Where _no other islands_ have ever been found."

"Good," Leynne said with a satisfied nod. "We've an undehstanding."

"That may be all you have," the round-faced man said. Then he appended, "Sir."

"At least we've established you ahn't a bunch of fools," Leynne commented.

Link resisted glancing at Zelda as she giggled. "If you'll hear us out first," he told the airmen with a calming hand raised. "We've recently confirmed that there _is_ an island out there. We think that the former residents of Forelight Island may have gone there, so _we_ 're going there to look for them."

"There were _people_ on Forelight?" Brandon asked Gillam. Gillam could only offer a shrug.

"One of them is still with us," Leynne continued. "In ouh endeavohs, ouh ultimate goal is to get heh back to heh people. We do not expect you to remain out of sympathy foh heh. In Aihman Gillam's case, I can only recommend the voyage as pehhaps the only time you might see the truth behind youh oldeh brotheh's wohds. As foh the rest of you…" He sighed. "Pehhaps a chance to escape the general tedium of a Skyrideh's life. It _is_ a ratheh ambitious and risky voyage indeed."

"No one has to say anything if you decide to cancel your transfers," Link added. "The company can _send_ you here, but _I_ say who stays."

Brandon and the other two airmen shared looks with each other. The youngest airman then repeated to Link, "There were _people_ on Forelight Island?"

Airman Gillam puffed his chest out and made a slow show of crossing his arms. "Captain, my brother is a Royal Knight in service to the king," he said in a careful, clear voice. "The knights won't take me, so I gotta _earn_ my own bragging rights the hard way. And I'd say a noble voyage with the 'Hero of Journeys' would be the closest thing I may ever see in my lifetime. So, no. My transfer stands. _Captain_."

Link stared at Gillam for a moment. Then he asked Zelda, "How'd he know about the…?"

"It would appear that word has left the walls of the castle," Zelda answered with a smile and a helpless shrug.

"Is he… talking to his chair, sir?" the young airman asked.

"Cehtainly puts ouh trip to the beyond in pehspective, doesn't it?" Leynne replied with a nervous grin. He cleared his throat and said, "Look, if you decide to remain, it will all make sense. As it is, though, if you decide not to take up a behth, we can still ahrange foh you to join anotheh crew."

Looks passed between the three remaining airmen. Then Brandon said, "I trust Gillam's instincts on this one. I think I'll stick around."

"I can't say I share his enthusiasm," the third older man said. "But it sounds interesting enough to me. I'll stick around, too."

The young airman glanced around the cabin for a moment. Then he asked Leynne, "At _least_ two months?"

"Have you something you'd ratheh not be away from?" Leynne asked.

"My wife," the airman answered. "She's pregnant. Due in about two and a half months."

"Congratulations," Leynne said with a tinge of surprise in his voice and expression. Link, Zelda, and Brandon nodded their agreement with his sentiment. "But… pehhaps this soht of assignment would not be appropriate. I would imagine you _and_ youh wife would prefeh that you be present foh the child's bihth."

The airman scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, well, that was my thinking before I shipped out last month. She can't stand having me around; I'm a… I guess I'm a bit of a pest. My parents are with her, though. She'll… she'll probably be all right."

"I cannot fohsee being gone foh any longeh than two months," Leynne told him. "Howeveh, I would not wish to impose on you, as I'm suh Captain Link would not as well."

"Nope," Link agreed.

"Weeeell…" the young airman said. "Without this assignment, I'm due for shore duty in another month. That means going home after hours. I don't think my wife will enjoy it. So… it sounds like I should hang around, too."

Link leafed through the forms in his hand. "Okay, then," he said. "Airmen Gillam and Brandon, you two will report to Chief Dubbl for assignment. Airmen…" He paused to glance at the forms again. "Airmen Beech and Botu, you will report to Chief Sello." Link then set down the papers and crossed his arms. "Beech, Botu, I know you're probably used to an engine room being run with a strict hand. Please note that while _Chief Sello_ may be a little eccentric and… very drunk… I expect the _rest_ of my engine crew to behave professionally. Or… at least close enough to keep my ship running."

The young man, Beech, and the older man, Botu, exchanged looks. "You have our word, Captain," Airman Botu said.

"Lieutenant Leynne, if you will show them to their stations," Link said, indicating Leynne with a hand.

"Undehstood, Captain," Leynne replied with a nod. He pointed to the door and told the airmen, "Gentlemen, if you please."

Link and Zelda watched as Leynne led the men back out onto the main deck. Then Zelda said, "I had assumed that Mister Sello would have embraced a sober mind by now."

Link placed a hand on his brow and rubbed. "Yeah, we tried that," he said with a groan. "Let's just say that there were _more_ drunks when we gave up than when we began." He stepped to the side of his chair.

Then he paused to stare at Zelda. She offered him a soft smile as if to innocently ask "Is something wrong?".

He crossed his arms in response. "I know you're only in my head and that you're not really here. Still. Can I have my _chair_ now?"


	5. We Don't Look Suspicious At All

Chapter 5: We Don't Look Suspicious At All

…

The _Island Symphony_ seemed surreal tied up as it was to a port with no nearby features. Even as Link watched his airmen tie it up to another pair of mooring pylons (which looked even less like bollards now that he stood ashore), the ship itself felt so out of place. He tried to write off the feeling as just being on a new island not built by Hylian hands. However, that little reminder only served to unnerve him as he glanced over his shoulder at the rest of the island.

"Pylons are sound, Captain," Flower said after having tried kicking one out of the rock. "Whoever put them in put them in _good_."

"Nice to know the ship won't float away if we just leave it," Irleen said as she hovered around Link's head.

"You bet," Link agreed.

 _Wham-bum pam!_ Link glanced up toward the ship's main deck in response to hearing a number of things falling against it. His first thought was that he had lost another sail.

And then Cale stumbled into view. A scholar from the surface kingdom, Cale was barely older than Link and yet so well-read in multiple areas of study that it almost made Link jealous. Despite this, Cale was also a walking reminder of gravity's existence. If there was ever anything anyone could fall from, Cale had about a fifty-fifty chance of falling from it. His brown hair had shown some recent growth, but he had managed to keep it tidy since leaving the kingdom; many on the crew suspected that he was making use of hair products brought aboard by the ship's cook, his girlfriend. He wore a blue shirt in keeping with the Skyriders' traditional colors for airmen, but his grey slacks gave him more of a business-like appearance.

Link cringed as Cale finally set foot on the gangplank. Not only was he traversing the worst possible fall, he had stacks of books, journals, and writing implements in his arms tall enough to block his view. Flower was seconds behind Link in perceiving this fact and quickly jerked in Cale's direction as if to catch him. Even after Cale safely set foot on the ground, Flower positioned himself right behind him to keep him from falling backwards.

Link rubbed a touch of sleep and irritation from his eyes. "Cale?" he asked. "How many books do you need?"

"I-I felt the need to consult my notes," Cale replied, his diction colored by an accent similar to Leynne's. He turned to one side so that he could look at Link. "I had thought it prudent to bring as much reseahch as I could."

"Okay, _now_ he's just showing off," Irleen commented, reminding Link of a conversation they had held two days prior.

"Cale, we'll be here for at _least_ a few days," Link told him. "I'm sure you'll be able to squeeze a bit of research in between organizing whatever supplies Leynne can scrounge up. Put the books away."

Cale sighed. "Yes, saah," he said with a resigned tone. He realized that Flower was nearby. "Mistah Flowah, would you mind?"

"Of course, Chief," Flower replied.

He held his arms out, and Cale carefully heaved the books into his arms. Then he paused to take one of his journals off the top of the stack. "Thank you, Mistah Flowah." Flower gave an indifferent grunt and turned to walk away. Cale turned back to survey the landscape. He took in a deep breath and said, "Well. I suppose this shall be… quite the adventuah. Aftah all, I've only evah seen Foahlight Island a few times. This would be the pahfect oppohtunity to examine Sorian ahchitectuah."

"Unfortunately, you might have to wait for that opportunity _still_ , Chief," Irleen said.

Cale turned to give her a confused look. "Might I?" he asked.

"That isn't Sorian architecture out there," Link said as he pointed at the buildings in the distance. "Someone _else_ is living here."

Cale cast the distance a stunned look. "Oh, my… Ah you cehtain?" he asked.

"Oooh, yeah," Link said as he nodded.

"Trust me," Irleen said.

The three of them heard footsteps bounding down the gangplank and turned to see Line approaching. He had changed into a red shirt with a matching jacket. Flower had to stumble out of the way in order to avoid colliding with him. He jogged to a stop in front of Link. "Is this all?" he asked. "Can't we at least take someone for… I don't know, _protection_?"

"We are," Link told him, resting a hand on the pommel of his sword.

Line gave him an irritated look. "Yeah, _you_ don't count."

Link nodded. "I know. Layna's coming along."

"Aaaaaw, do we _have_ to?" Line groaned, allowing his body to slacken in a show of exhaustion.

"Let's get going; it's a long walk," Link said. Then, as they started across the open area, he said, "I thought you liked Layna. For a girl with no chest."

"She's been sticking me with needles for almost _two years_!" Line argued. "As much as I like sleeping on-duty, I'm getting sick of falling to the deck every time she gets a wild hair and stabs me in the neck."

"I believe I'd expressed my concehn foh the theft of the Gelto crew's undahweah," Cale spoke up.

"I can't get you to keep _any_ secret, can I?" Line whined at him.

"This may sound kinda stupid, Line," Irleen spoke up, "but _why_ would you steal from your shipmates?"

Link, although he had his back to both boys, opened his arms wide to show his confusion. "Am _I_ the only one who thinks it's wrong of him to steal _any_ women's clothes?"

"Shut up, Link," Irleen said in a dismissive manner. "This is behavioral study."

"I'd _hahdly_ qualify Line as a typical male," Cale commented.

"Sure, because you're a _Hylian_ ," Irleen told him.

"This conversation's getting _boring_ ," Line complained. "Can we go back to women's underwear?"

"You _started_ it," Link said over his shoulder. "Now shut up, or I'm just gonna leave you right here. 'Cause I know Layna won't follow either of _you_."

Either because Link was their captain or they had simply run out of arguments, Line, Cale, and Irleen had fallen silent for the rest of their walk to the buildings. It took another ten minutes before they reached the edge of the town, marked by the change from large, stone tiles in the ground to bricks. As expected, the buildings in the immediate region were single-story and not particularly large. Most on the road they used had been built very close together, barely enough distance to walk side-by-side. Some of the side streets looked to be narrower. Their exteriors looked to be made from grayish clay. But the doors and windows did not use wood as expected. Link tapped a few to be sure that the doors were actually thick cloth stretched tight over a frame (which, if the doorknobs were any indication, might have been made of iron). Line dared to try a few only to find them locked.

After another unsuccessful test, he turned to Link and Cale and asked, "Am I the only one weirded out by it being the middle of the morning… and nobody's out here?"

"It _does_ bring back cehtain memories," Cale commented. "An attempt at gaining ouh surrendah comes to mind."

"Surrender to who?" Line asked.

"Captain Nohth."

"Oh, yeah," Line said as he moved to the window of the next building. "I think you told me about that. But _I_ was thinking about _Autumn_ Island. That ambush was… something."

"At least _this_ island looks nicer," Link chipped in.

"And somewhat _wohthy_ of habitation," Cale added as he peered into a nearby barrel. "Although I wouldn't exactly _attest_ to it being inhabited at his point."

Line knocked on the window, if only for the dull thud the stretched cloth made. Then he turned and said, "The doors are all locked. Maybe they all stepped out."

"First thing in the morning?" Irleen asked. "We aren't even sure if these are _homes_."

"They appeah somewhat unifohm in appearance," Cale pointed out. "Theih small size _could_ suggest houses, at least foh single people oh small families."

"Or maybe storage sheds?" Line suggested.

"Irleen, do you think you can sneak into one?" Link asked his brow. "Maybe squeeze in under the door?"

"I _guess_ I could try," she answered. She fluttered to a door on the opposite side of the street from Line and stopped near the bottom so that Link and Cale could join her near the doorway. "Wow. It looks pretty dark in there."

"I've got an idea," Link said as he drew his sword. He dropped to his knees, leaned over, and carefully slid the sword underneath the door. "How's that? Can you see anything?"

"Not really," she confessed. "But it makes it easier to see just inside. Can you hold it there until I come out?"

"Yeah, sure," Link said, although Irleen's light was already inside before he could answer. He glanced up at Cale. "Keep your eyes open. We don't exactly wanna get _caught_ doing this."

"Irleen's the only one going inside," Line pointed out as he moved to the next corner on his side of the street.

"I still cannot say that I enjoy the prospect of breaking and entering," Cale commented as he casually side-stepped to the corner of the house and peered around the side.

Link placed his mouth to the bottom of the door and asked, "See anything?"

"Ah- _choo_!" Link quickly jerked away from door when a small plume of dust spat out at him. "Ahk! Dust," Irleen told him.

"Noticed," Link grunted.

"Link." Link glanced up at Cale, at first alarmed that he had seen someone coming. "I have to admit… I have some misgivings concehning this place."

"I think we _all_ do, Cale. But we're here now, and we're gonna need to find some supplies around here so we can get home."

"Ah we cehtain this is the _only_ island along this Sky Line?"

Link put on a hesitant look. "Uh… yeah."

"Okay, Link," Irleen spoke up. Link glanced down to find her exiting the door. He waited until she was clear before he pulled his sword out. "Whew. Not a very inviting place."

"What'd you find?" Link asked while he waved Line back over.

"Well, whoever uses this place sure likes the dark," she said. "There are blankets over the windows and the door; your sword kept the blanket out of the way so I could at least see the opening."

"Could you tell if anyone was inside?" Link asked.

"In pitch-black? Not really. I had to get close to things just so my own light would show me what I was looking at. But… I don't think there was anyone inside; all I could hear was you guys talking out _here_."

"What _was_ in there?" Line asked.

"Furniture, I guess," Irleen said. "It's hard to tell what things are, especially when you're _this_ small. Sorry, guys, but I just couldn't say. About the only thing I could make out was a large cloth in the middle of the room. It looked like someone had just left it on the floor."

"Anything in it?" Link asked.

"No."

Cale glanced over his shoulder. Then he said, "Pehhaps we should move fuhthah in. If these _ah_ homes, the buildings closah to the centah might be businesses. They may be ouh best chance foh finding supplies."

"Agreed," Link said with a nod. He sheathed the sword and pointed down the street. "Let's go."

"Can we pick up some paint while we're out?" Line asked. "Seriously, the drab grey is beginning to annoy me."

"Let's… find out who we're dealing with before we go painting their houses, Line," Link said. "For all we know, we just broke into the house of a mass murderer."

"Save me the horroh," Cale said with an exhausted tone.

"Don't worry," Line said. "If there's a murderer around here, I'm sure _you_ 'll be first to go, Cale."

"Shut up, Line," Link and Irleen said at the exact same time. Line blew a raspberry and picked up his pace to put himself ahead of the group.


	6. At Least They Cleaned Before They Left

Chapter 6: At Least They Cleaned Up Before They Left

…

Half an hour later had brought Link, Line, Irleen, and Cale (and, presumably, Layna) to buildings consisting of two or three stories. The road they used had widened, but this appeared to be at the cost of some of the side streets. Terrain closer to the center of the island became uneven, resulting in narrow side streets with a few stairs randomly built in whenever someone had not felt like following the curve of the ground. Outdoor implements increased: barrels, crates, signage, and, mysteriously, a bed. None of the signs bore anything resembling the Sorians' claw-like alphabet; whoever had moved onto the island preferred to simply offer a picture to indicate purpose. Not that they did a very good job at times. One sign depicting a thermometer left Irleen and Line arguing about whether it was a clinic or a chemist's shop. The lack of open windows did not help. Although store-front displays had been set up using panes of glass, these were still curtained off alongside the locked doors all around them. There were no streetlights to be seen, however many of the larger businesses had lanterns hanging over their doorways and, sometimes, the windows.

It all looked just as abandoned as before, maybe even more so. Link began to wonder if this was the result of some type of disaster. Disease, maybe; it might account for why doors were locked. It did not appear to be the work of invaders or monsters roaming the island. Everything looked so pristine and orderly, if a little drab.

It was the same idea Line grasped when he finally noted aloud, "There's no trash."

This, of course, meant nothing to Cale since he decided to ask, "Should theah be?"

Link was in the process of looking around for a piece of contradictory evidence and barely heard Line say, "There should be if this place was _abandoned_."

"Maybe they were just good at cleaning up after themselves," Irleen suggested as she fluttered a little higher to examine the lay of the land.

"I doubt I'd be worrying about cleaning up my own shit if I was _hauling_ _ass_ off this rock," Line argued as he tried to peer into the front window of another store.

"I think Line has a point," Link finally spoke up. "There isn't even a shard of glass on the ground. Bottles, paper… animal crap…"

"I wouldn't expect a _party_ around here," Line said. "But something like _that_ , I would."

"Wellll…" Cale droned for a moment as he thought. "Ah we undah the assumption that the beings who used to live heah might be similah to Hylians?"

"Look at the buildings, Cale," Irleen told him as she flew a large, lazy circle between the three boys. "I know they don't exactly look like Hylian houses, but could you honestly _not_ imagine some kind of Human-like thing living in them?"

"I can imagine all _sohts_ of creatuahs that could fit the description of 'Human'," Cale pointed out. "So can you, with youh knowledge of mythical beasts."

"Aw, _man_ ," Line whined, slouching and slapping his legs in annoyance. "Cale, please: no more stories about your games."

Cale shrugged his confusion toward Line. "What?"

"Do you _listen_ to yourself when you tell those stories?" Line asked. "Fighting a gigantic bug in the middle of a misty forest? A gigantic _fish_ in the middle of a _desert_? Beautiful and crazy women in a _mine_? Who the hell believes that crap?"

Cale cast Link a look. Link sighed, but Irleen was the one to say, "Actually, all of that happened, Line."

"That was me," Link added with one hand raised.

"It was?" Line asked. He glanced aside as he tried to recall more of Cale's stories. "Attacked by living rock?"

" _I_ told you that one, _Line_!" Irleen snapped at him.

"Does anyone _really_ need to know about that one?" Link asked her.

"You attacked living rock," Irleen pointed out. "Ten times larger. Maybe eleven, considering your height then." Link looked up to glare at her. "Five times faster. And more blades than a kitchen. Oh, and it all also happened to be the same rock elevating _your_ ass from the surface. For the record, I started rooting for the technoworks."

"Thank you. Irleen," Link quickly said before she could continue. "The point. There's no trash. Why?"

Cale blinked for a moment. Then he said, "Ostensibly, someone cleaned up. Oh… pehhaps the wind blew it all oveh the side."

"There's not enough wind here to give my cape a good wave," Line pointed out.

"You're not _wearing_ a cape," Irleen said in an annoyed tone.

"My theoretical cape," Line corrected.

"I _really_ hate that you know that word," Irleen told him.

"Stop!" Link immediately snapped, holding both hands up to silence both Line and Cale. "Guys, enough with the fighting. We've got a job to do." He indicated a building further ahead of Line. "Go take a look in there."

Line heaved an exhausted sigh and slowly stomped toward the next window. "Like I'm gonna see anything…" he groaned while Link pointed Cale toward the next building. However, when he stopped at the window, he tilted his head in astonishment. "Hey, Link! We got one."

Link and Cale immediately crossed the street and stepped up on either side of Line. The bay window they looked through was still covered by a curtain, but the curtain was not actually _in_ the window, instead hanging at the corners of the window and allowing sight at whatever was in the bay. And in that bay was a small collection of odd, complexly-shaped pieces of iron; a pair of sacks without labels, one of them empty while the other was bulging with contents; and, astonishingly, a stone statue depicting a Sorian. The statue used a stand to support a female Sorian lying flat with the vertical member of the stand connecting to the Sorian's stomach. The Sorian's arms looked strange; Link knew that a Sorian had an additional appendage on their arm to stretch their wings to their full length. This Sorian, however, had arms that were complete wings like a bird. The nose looked wrong, appearing more as a bird's beak. The clothes, however, looked Sorian: a sleeveless, backless top and slacks fastened at her ankles.

Irleen fell to look the statue in the eye, her glow casting just a little more illumination on it. "This is _it_ ," she nearly whispered to the boys. "This has _got_ to mean this is the Lost Library."

"Cale," Link ordered as he pointed, "check the door."

Cale only had to reach for the doorknob. "Locked," he told Link when the knob would not turn.

"We gotta get in here," Link said. "Cale, Line, go around back and see if there's another door. Irleen, let's see if we can get you under this door."

"Sounds good," Irleen said.

"Wait a minute!" Line hollered as Link walked around him. "Why do _I_ gotta go with Cale?!"

Link was on one knee when Line asked, so he had to turn to tell him, "So you'll get away from _me_."

Line blew a raspberry. "Whatever. C'mon, Chief Twig, let's go fall into something."

"I _knew_ it…" Cale groaned under his breath as they disappeared around the corner of the building.

Link pulled his sword and slid the blade under the door. "Can you see inside?" he asked Irleen as she slowly dropped to the ground.

"Not a whole lot," she said as she approached the gap. "Hmm."

"What is it?" Link asked.

"There's something in there," she said as she jumped up from the ground and suspended herself above Link's hand. "It's… I-I don't know how to explain it, but… there's something _alive_ in there."

"Can you go in and get a look at it?" Link asked.

"Iiiii… really don't want to."

"Why not?"

"Do you ever get… I don't know how to explain it. Do you ever just _feel_ like something is just so wrong that… that fiber of your body tells you not to do it?"

Link nodded. "Pretty much describes everything that happened two years ago."

"I'm not joking, Link," she snapped, jerking toward Link's face. "Right now, if I had a spine, it would shatter from all the shivering."

"What did you see?"

"Life, but not like I've seen it before. Slivers… shards… fragmen—any-any way you describe it. It's life, but it's so disjointed, so… in _pieces_ , I don't even wanna go _near_ it."

Link frowned at her for a moment. Irleen, presumably like any other Sorian, could actually _see_ the life in any living thing. She had once allowed him the same kind of vision, if only for a few moments. Almost everything involving the Sorians pulsed with life; even the _Horizon's Eye_ , a Sorian _airship_ , was made of living planks of wood. As far as Link knew, the Sorians viewed life as a gold or white light that flowed over a living being. Death, based mostly on his assumptions, would be the complete _absence_ of that light. So what exactly was Irleen seeing that looked like life but made Irleen react as if she had just seen death?

 _Ga-GRRRRSHAAH!_

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Link's head immediately looked up at the sound of something heavy and numerous falling as well as listening to both Line and Cale scream like little girls. He slid his sword back out and wheeled around to follow them around the corner. He kneed a barrel around the side of the building, but his panic left him barely acknowledging it as he charged up the four steps to a higher part of the street. He turned the next corner around the building tight.

And he immediately slid to a stop, so immediate that he slipped and fell backwards. He landed on his bottom while his feet dangled over the edge of a large hole spanning the width of the street. It was as if the brick had spontaneously decided to fall away, leaving a jagged mouth the same width as the backside of the building they were investigating.

Link pulled his legs away from the hole and turned so that he was on his hands and knees looking into the hole. "Cale! Line! Are… you…"

Link trailed off when he realized that the hole was not that deep. Both Line and Cale were lying on their backs on top of the fallen bricks, writhing and groaning in pain. With a bit of stretching and if the two of them stood, Link could probably reach them. So he sighed and asked in a normal voice, "You guys okay?"

"I _hate_ you…" Line groaned back.

"What happened?" Irleen asked, unable to completely hold back the giggle in her voice.

"It just _collapsed_ ," Cale said as he and Line slowly stood up.

Line picked up a sign made of canvas and metal piping. After staring at the picture on one side, he turned to glare at Cale. "You just _had_ to look at the stupid sign, didn't you?" he asked. "I oughta bust it across your face. You wanna look at it _that_ bad?"

"Not anymoah," Cale groaned as he planted a hand on the wall of bare earth nearby.

Irleen's tone changed as she asked, "Cale, what are those next to your hand?"

Cale gave the wall a tired look. "What, the roots?" he asked. "What about them?"

"They're alive."

All eyes turned in her direction. "They _can't_ be," Cale said. "They'h undahground; theah ahn't any plants attached to them."

"Well, yeah, they're _dying_ ," Irleen said. "But they're still alive. Cale, there's a tunnel _full_ of them behind you."

Cale turned around to peer into the darkness behind him. "This is a _tunnel_?"

Line, closer to Link, pointed toward the side of the hole underneath Link. "There's a tunnel down _this_ way, too," he said.

Link switched around again so that he was sitting on the edge of the hole. He grabbed his sword, and then he dropped down while Irleen trailed behind him. He glanced down both directions for a moment. "Any theories?" he asked.

"It would seem that the street was built ovah the tunnel," Cale said. "Theah doesn't appeah to be an entrance in eithah direction."

"Irleen, this looks like it could be a tunnel down into the island's technoworks," Link commented while he replaced his sword.

"It could be," Irleen agreed. "It'd be great if it was."

Line dropped the sign on the ground. "How?" he asked.

"If we can get to the technoworks," Link explained, "we could change the nearby Sky Line and make the way home shorter."

"Or maybe even reset the Sky Lines around _here_ ," Irleen added. "It could give us a Sky Line to return on, make the trip home even shorter."

"Should we exploah it _now_?" Cale asked. "It's neahly pitch-black, and none of us have any lights."

"Maybe we should get Layna down here," Line said. "I'm sure _she_ can see in the dark."

"I think I've got a better idea," Link said as he removed the flare gun from behind his back.

"Right," Line said with a flat tone. "Let's fill the tunnel with smoke so we know where to find it."

"I'm gonna shoot a _flare_ into it," Link said. He paused to examine a shell he had pulled from his belt. Then he opened the gun's breach and loaded the shell. "Watch it, Cale." Cale stepped behind Link while Link cocked and aimed the gun down the tunnel toward the center of the island. _FZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz!_ The shell disappeared into the darkness for a bit, a thin trail of black smoke and the strange sound being the only evidence that Link fired. About a second later, green light erupted from further down the tunnel, almost a pinpoint from the boys' perspective.

"Cute," Line said in a flat tone. "I'm not going down there."

"I wasn't gonna tell you to," Link said as he replaced the flare gun. He started forward as he added, "Layna, Irleen, and I will."

"Ahn't you going to call foh haah?" Cale asked.

"Look behind you."

Cale and Line exchanged looks. "You first," Line said.

Cale glanced over his shoulder. "AH-hah!" he cried out upon realizing that Layna was behind him. Layna, a young Gelto woman with long, fiery hair tied high on the back of her head in a ponytail that reached as far as her lower back, stepped past the two with an emotionless gaze on her face. Her attire, a black body suit adorned with pockets and straps, helped her blend back into the darkness of the tunnel while she used a brisk pace to catch up to Link.

"How about it?" Link asked as they finally stepped into the flare's light about ten minutes later. "How does this tunnel look?"

"Not good," Irleen replied. "These roots in here are all on the verge of dying. It's a wonder they've lasted _this_ long."

"Is there a way to save them?"

"Nuh-uh. But if the people here wouldn't cover the topsoil, these plants might emerge in a year."

Link paused as he stepped around the flare. Then he stopped to search for another on his belt. "How about you, Layna?" Link asked. "See anybody but us?"

"Na', My Captain," Layna replied.

Link had to change shells twice before he found a blue flare. He took time to load it before he started moving. But, just as they were leaving the other flare's area of illumination, Irleen spoke up, "Link, we're nearing the end."

Link glanced over his shoulder toward the entrance. "Pretty good walk," he commented.

They were still another minute away from the end. Then, Irleen called out, "Link, stop! Stop!"

Link froze in place. "What? What?" he asked.

Instead of answering, Irleen fluttered forward. Her green light showed Link a brick wall. He took a single step and placed a hand on the wall. It was definitely solid, and, as Irleen flew up and down, there did not seem to be a hole or any sort of entryway for them to go through.

"This is weird," Irleen commented. "Who makes a tunnel and then covers one end with a brick wall?"

"Maybe it was a shelter at one point," Link suggested. "They built the road over it when they didn't need it anymore."

"Maybe not," Irleen replied as she looked at the corner of the wall. "Link, I can feel air flow over here, right where this root is.

"There's an open space on the other side."


	7. That'll Wake the Neighbors

Chapter 7: That'll Wake the Neighbors

…

Link was willing to put up with a little more exploring (and bickering with Line) before ultimately deciding to return to the _Island Symphony_. The shop they had been looking at went unopened because Link wanted to wait until their options were exhausted before physically breaking into someone's business. Besides that, he found himself a little intimidated by Irleen's reaction to whatever was inside.

By the time they returned to the ship, the sun hung high in the air, casting an abundant amount of light over the island. It did not do much for the dreary feel of the island, but at least there was a little more warmth to the general air. Link, Layna, Line, and Cale ate an early lunch, joined at Link's request by Leynne, Flower, Lwamm, Dubbl, and Biluf. Then he had Biluf gather her supplies for a very special assignment.

 _K-BOOOOOOOOM!_

Needless to say, her assignment was over very fast: the time it took to walk back to the tunnel in addition to the few minutes she needed to set down explosives, light the fuse, and run for her life.

The explosion threw a cloud of dust and rocks up into the air and out through the hole in the street while Link, Line, Biluf, and Irleen watched near the edge of the hole. Link and Line turned their heads away with an arm covering their faces while Irleen ducked behind Link. Biluf was not as concerned, having put on a pair of safety goggles Leynne had made for her and tied a mask over her nose and mouth. If not for the mask, the boys might have had a clear look at the maniacal grin on her face.

"Wow!" Line hollered as he uncovered his head to watch the dust cloud, higher than any nearby building, slowly settle back to the ground.

"Nice boom, Biluf," Link said with awe in his voice.

"Sankyu, Kyabtin," Biluf replied.

 _Kr. KaRAAAAAAAGH!_

Link and Line's delight turned to horror as they watched a four-story building near the explosion collapse with an angry roar almost on top of its foundation. Another plume of dust billowed outward, blocking out its neighboring structures for a moment.

Link grimaced. "Uh oh."

"Holy _crap_!" Line said through his hand, trying his best to not allow his utter glee to show.

"In hindsight," Irleen said as she peered over Link's shoulder, "maybe having Biluf blow up that wall was… a little _excessive_."

"A little excessive," Line commented, removing his hands to show a big grin. "But a _lot_ of fun to watch!"

"Sankyu," Biluf said, hooking her thumbs to the straps of her overalls with an air of pride in her stance.

"You're welcome."

"I just hope she didn't _bury_ the tunnel under that building," Irleen said.

"There's one way to find out," Link said. Then he turned and signaled with a hand. "Dubbl, Leynne."

Leynne, wearing a regular shirt and work trousers for once, stepped out of hiding with Dubbl close behind him. "It's nice to see Biluf's proclivity foh pyrotechnics be put to use foh _good_ once moh," he commented as he finished watching the final dust cloud disappear from the landscape.

"Sankyu," Biluf told him.

"Leynne, go ahead and start looking around," Link said. "We'll check out this tunnel. If you get into trouble, send up smoke."

"You do the same," Leynne said. He waved Biluf along as he turned around. "Let's move," he hollered at the airmen around the side as he, Biluf, and Dubbl disappeared around the building.

Link took two steps forward and dropped down into the hole, followed closely by Irleen. Line followed by sitting on the edge of the hole and then pushing himself off. With the noon sun overhead and a new hole in the ground, the tunnel appeared a little more inviting as they entered. Layna followed them in half a minute later, remaining unnoticed as she walked behind Line. The new hole in the ground was a little larger than the first hole, and the amount of dirt and rock that had been blown into the air left the tunnel wider. Roots and broken bricks littered the ground.

"Y'know," Link spoke up as they now had to trudge over the debris left over from the collapsed building, "I'm beginning to wonder if it's a good idea for her to leave her chemical supplies in the boat deck. One good jerk, and my cabin just might go with the rear half of the ship."

"Well, you're sure as hell aren't letting her keep it in her _berth_ ," Line argued. "Make her leave them in the orlop."

"What's more dangerous to you?" Irleen asked as she hovered over the boys. "Blowing Link up, or letting _Sello_ get a hold of Biluf's stock?"

Line gave pause at the top of the pile as he tried to decide the consequences of blowing up his commander versus allowing volatile chemicals to get into the hands of their very drunk and even crazier chief engineer. While he did this, Link turned and looked up to object, "Why do _I_ get to blow up!?"

"You can either go by yourself, or you can kill your whole crew and _still_ go down," Line pointed out.

"Right," Link said with a sarcastic tone. "Because… there's no way that blowing _me_ up _in my cabin_ won't take out the ballast _or_ the engine."

"Guys," Irleen called out.

"I thought your crew came _first_ ," Line argued with a smug look on his face.

"I'm just pointing out th—" Link began.

"Boys!" Irleen snapped. Link and Line looked around until they found her hovering near an opening to the tunnel not covered by debris from the nearby building. She started circling her position.

"There's life down there."

Link and Line shared a surprised look. "Layna," Link called out as they started down the debris pile at a brisker pace. "We're going inside."

Line slipped on a loose brick and immediately dropped onto his left thigh. "Agh!" he cried out as jagged brick jabbed into his leg. Link paused near the entrance, but Line quickly returned to his feet. "I'm okay, I'm okay."

"You sure?" Link asked.

"C'mon, guys!" Irleen hollered from inside the tunnel.

"Yeah," Line said as he braced himself on the tunnel wall. But, after Link dropped down into the tunnel, he found his way blocked by Layna jumping down from out of nowhere. He flailed backward in surprise, and Layna quickly spun and caught the front of his shirt. Line remained leaning backward as he looked around. "Wow. Thanks for the save. Here I was beginning to think you—"

Layna released him, and he fell backwards onto the pile. He writhed in silence for a moment while the pain caused by a dozen brick corners stabbed into his back, and then he sat up and watched Layna descend into the tunnel without a further word. As he hauled himself to his feet, he finished his sentence with, "Hate me."

Meanwhile, Link's pace was quick as he chased Irleen down the tunnel. Part of this was because he did not want Irleen to get too far away from him. The other part was the presence of light further down the tunnel, a yellowish flicker that gradually became larger as he continued. His heart was beating hard with anticipation. Was their venture about to pay off?

Then Link slid to a stop at the mouth of the tunnel. Before him stretched a vast room filled with bookshelves arranged in parallel to the edge of an oval opening in at least five floors' worth of subterranean library. The light that filled the room traveled along the intricate designs on the railings around the atrium as yellow marbles. Their illumination was aided by spirals of light in the ceiling above the many tables on each level. Still more glyphs on the walls and even along some of the shelves glowed so that many of the darker corners were still well-lit. Probably the most satisfying thing to Link's eyes was the fact that nothing appeared to have been built. The railing literally grew out of the floor and entwined together to form a single piece on each level. Every table looked like it had bloomed from the bare wood beneath it, and the benches had branched out from underneath the table's structure. The shelves seamlessly blended into each other and the floor, yet the interior spaces that held books and scrolls alike was so perfectly square that a carpenter would be jealous.

Link, caught wordless in his moment of awe, slowly made his way to the edge of the atrium with his eyes cast to the ceiling. Beyond the floor above, Link saw what must have kept the library around them alive for so many years: a piece of technoworks. Generating a swirl of orange and yellow light, the hemisphere hanging at the middle of the ceiling was unlike anything Link had seen before, even considering how much experience he had had with the technoworks. This one bore a set of four arms which arranged themselves as if on a clock, the end of each arm corresponding with a ring of symbols carved in the ceiling. The shortest hand shifted the most, but staring at it allowed Link to see movement in the other three hands during the next few minutes. Below, Link counted seven levels before seeing a solid floor.

"Link, isn't this _incredible_!?" Irleen cried out as she fluttered about the atrium. "This is _definitely_ it! We found the Lost Library!"

"This _is_ incredible," Link agreed as he followed the railing, his voice echoing throughout the library. "And so _different_. This doesn't look a _thing_ like the library on Forelight Island."

"Of _course_ it doesn't, Link!" Irleen replied. "This place has been sealed from _time_. Over a _hundred_ years. The one on my home island was _modern_. Just _look_ at all this. No offices, no observation counters. Just books and tables."

Link ran his hand along the railing and examined his fingertips in the nearby light. "It's been cleaned lately," he observed.

"It's been _untouched_ ," Irleen corrected while Line and Layna, having walked in behind Link, similarly awed at the atrium. "The inside of a tree doesn't create dust, Link."

"We're _inside_ a tree?" Line asked.

" _Obviously_ ," Irleen replied. "This might be why the landscape closer to the center is so uneven. After the tree _above_ the library was cut down, the stump and the library were buried underneath it. I think the reason the tree is still alive is because it's been feeding off the technoworks. There must be access to the technoworks somewhere nearby."

"Wouldn't that be convenient," Link uttered. "We'd be able to leave any time we wanted. But the question: Were the _Sorians_ ever here? Did they come through or not?"

"Considering that this library was still sealed up, probably not," Irleen told him. Then she returned to Link's level and hovered above the railing nearest to him. "Link. I know this doesn't bring us any closer to the Sorians, not in any obvious way. But. There's _still_ something we can do while we're here."

"There is?" Link asked.

"This is a repository of some of the oldest texts known to the Sorians. This includes Sorian magic, something that hasn't changed in over two hundred years."

Link nodded his understanding. "You wanna figure out how to get your old body back," he concluded.

"You got it. I know we probably don't wanna be here for long, but if you'll lend me Cale, I _bet_ we can find a spell that'll return me to normal."

"That's gonna be a loooooootta books to go through," Line commented as he looked down the atrium.

"Please, Link?" Irleen asked.

Link nodded. "Of course. Remember: Meilont _still_ wants to see what you really look like."

Irleen's tone came out sardonic as she replied, "Nice to know my future as a Sorian depends on you impressing your girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend," Link replied as his cheeks tinged red. "I-I mean, uh… we, uh…"

"Okay, your not-girlfriend," Irleen replied.

"Can I have her, then?" Line asked as he hurried toward Link. "Is she pretty?"

"Shut up, Line," Irleen and Link said at the same time, both turning in his direction to glare (for all the expression Irleen could show, at any rate).

Line stopped, surprised by their reaction. He tried looking to his right for a distraction. His eyes found Layna perched on a table, giving him one of her blank stares. "What, you, too?" he asked her. Layna's response was a slow, calculated nod.

"Layna disapproves," Irleen said. "No Meilont for you."

"I hate you, Link," Line said.

Layna slowly stepped off the table and approached Link. Link first thought that this was unusual; she maintained her emotionless stare, which was a signal that Layna was still in what the crew affectionately called "Kill Mode". The fact that she was visible at all indicated one of two things: either she could not find a spot in the library to hide, or she had something to tell Link. "Something wrong?" Link asked her.

She stepped up to the rail and pointed over the side toward the bottom of the atrium. "Zabiyc," she said.

"What's that mean?" Irleen asked while Link peered over the side.

Link immediately found the source of Layna's concern. While the other floors beneath them were lit the same way as their current floor, Link saw that there was a large spot of black on the very bottom level. He frowned in confusion as he replied, "'Darkness'."


	8. Stop Poking It

Chapter 8: Stop Poking It

…

They took a few minutes to find a staircase. What they eventually discovered was a narrow space at one end of the library, the far end from where they had seen the black spot below. Blocks high enough to bust a careless knee served as stairs. Headspace was not much of a consideration, either, but it was one of a few times that Link could actually gloat about his short stature.

He _could_ , but Link was not in the mood. Two years ago, Link had never been able to anticipate what kind of trouble he would find as he had spent three months traveling about the surface and the sky. But, after that first month, he had begun to identify when he had been about to walk into a bad situation. With a minor margin for error; after all, he had not expected the governor of Castle Island to start shooting at him. Nevertheless, his overall impression of this island had changed from a simple dismissal of mild paranoia to a minor admonition concerning appearances to a full array of warning flags. He wanted to believe that he was ready for anything.

He had to admit that he was not ready for _this_ situation.

As Link stepped off the final stair, he paused as his eyes examined the dark area from the other side. Even with all the spots of light, it was like opening a door to a windowless room. Illumination tried to reach into the darkness, but it simply stopped just out of reach. Link could hardly make out the features of the wall beyond the dark. The marbles of light crawling along the walls seemed as if they just disappeared behind the bookshelves framing the darkness.

He clenched his fists. "Irleen," he asked in a business-like tone, "can you… see any life… in that?"

Irleen was stunned at the sight, and her answer was a little delayed. "I-I can't tell," she answered, her voice hollow. "It's… it's like the darkness is blocking me."

Line dropped to the floor next to Link. "Oh, man…" he said. "I think I had a nightmare like this once."

"Me, too," Irleen said. "But there was a senior librarian with a whip waiting to beat knowledge into my head. I _hated_ that woman."

Line glanced at her as she fluttered near Link's left ear. "You've got issues."

"I wish we'd brought lanterns with us, like Leynne suggested," Link said. Then he got an idea and reached around his back. "Irleen, how flammable is this library?"

"Link, it isn't a good idea," Irleen replied. "If the fire gets out of control, the smoke'll kill us before the library burns down on top of us."

Link immediately took his hand away from his flare gun. "Never mind." He looked left and spotted books sitting in a shelf grown from the surface of a nearby table. "Here's another idea."

"Wait a minute," Irleen said as she and Line followed Link to the table. "You're not just gonna throw a _book_ into it, are you?" Link pulled a book from the table and flipped through its contents. "You can't do that, Link! What if the one you chose happens to be the one I need to change back?"

Link showed her the cover. "Is it?"

Irleen hovered closer to read the cover. "'Annej'. Oh. I've seen her work."

"So… no?"

"No, _this one_ , you can chuck."

"Is it that bad?" Line asked as they approached the dark area.

"Flat characters, convoluted storyline, unrealistic familial developments… and some pretty crappy spelling," Irleen replied. "And I happen to _like_ horses. I've never _seen_ one before, but I like them."

"What's _that_ gotta do with it?"

"Her main character likes to boot them in the legs." Link looked over his shoulder to exchange looks and a shrug with Line.

Link dared to go as far as the middle of the floor and then about five paces more. It still put him at a decent, safe distance from the dark area. He hoped. Even after moving this close, though, he still could not make out any of the features beyond the darkness.

So Link turned his shoulders and flung the book with a side-throw at the darkness. This caused the book to flop open mid-flight as it spun. It fell short of the darkness with a disappointing _thump_.

Line stepped up beside Link and cast the book a disappointed look. "What was _that_?" Line asked.

"It opened up," Link defended.

"Where did _you_ learn how to throw a book?" Line asked.

"Fine." Link pointed at the book. " _You_ go pick it up and throw it."

Line glanced between Link and the darkness for a moment. "Are you kidding? I'm not going near that." Instead, Line turned and walked to a nearby table. There, he found a small set of scrolls piled into a pyramid and took the scroll on the top.

He returned to Link's side and showed the scroll to Irleen. "Eugh…" she groaned. "Chuck it."

"More Annej?" Link asked.

"An excerpt," she replied. "I hope whatever idiot that copied it broke _both_ hands afterwards."

"No love for Annej," Line said with a fake sigh. He lofted the scroll to catch it in a better grip. Then he overhanded the scroll as hard as he could.

 _Thp._ The scroll hit something soft enough that it sprang backwards slightly before clattering to the floor. For a brief moment, no one spoke while eyes waited to see if the scroll would survive.

Line then finally asked, "Did I… hit something?"

"I… I think you _did_ ," Link replied. He looked up at Irleen. "Something… soft?"

"I can't imagine _why_ anything like that would be here," Irleen said. She watched as the boys slowly stepped forward. Then she quickly moved to hover over their heads. "Whatever it is, it's blocking our access to the technoworks."

The boys stopped as far as the book. "Think it's something the last guys here left behind?" Line asked as he picked the book up.

"I don't know," Irleen said. "It would help if we could _see_ what it was."

"Okay," Link said as he looked around. "Irleen, do you see anything around here that _might_ indicate you and Cale need to be on this floor?"

"So far, not really."

"That settles it then," Link said. "Line, pass along to the crew that _no one_ needs to come down here. We don't know what this is, but there's no need to bother it."

"What about the technoworks?" Irleen asked.

"We'll have to find another entrance. If worst comes to worst, we might see if Biluf can open another hole for us."

"Yeah, that'll do a lot for the landscape," Line joked as they turned around.

Irleen took a moment to think while the boys walked back to the stairs. Then she caught up with them as she said, "If there's a river somewhere on the surface, there should be another place near there to get under the island."

"Sounds good," Line said as he tossed the book onto a nearby table. "Sounds like a job for the ship."

"Line, I think I'll have _you_ take care of that," Link said.

Line mounted the first step. Then he stopped and turned to look at Link. "Wait, have me take care of _what_?" he asked.

"Take the ship into the air overhead and look for water," Link explained. "You'll only need a couple of deckhands and a helmsman. Dubbl can supervise."

"Yeah, but she _hates_ me."

" _All_ the Gelto hate you, Line," Irleen replied as she fluttered over his head.

"Borrow someone from the engine room if you have to," Link continued, "but it would be easier if _you_ were up there doing it."

"Why can't _you_ do it?" Line whined as he started up the "stairs" again.

"I wanna be here on the island in case we find the technoworks," Link said. "The sooner we can get access to them, the sooner we can change the Sky Line and get us home faster."

"Yeah, but you need _me_ on the _Symphony_ to help you find them?"

"That, and so you can go be a slacker as much as you want." Line stopped and looked under his arm at a grinning Link. "Or would you rather be walking around all day with Leynne kicking your ass along?" Irleen started giggling.

"I'm sorry, is the word 'sucker' written on me somewhere?" Line asked Irleen.

"In bright, green letters on your forehead," Irleen replied.

"I'm serious," Link said, still grinning. "Both of us have been walking around all morning. And your whining is getting on my nerves." Line stuck his tongue out in response. "But, if you could take the _Symphony_ overhead and find us a river somewhere, it would help a lot."

"And… you're gonna let me command?" Line asked.

" _Under_ Dubbl's supervision," Link pointed out.

"Whatever," Line said.

"Dubbl will relieve you as soon as you're back at the port. I trust you to be able to not only find a river, but to be able to direct us to it."

"You said it before: Leynne's got the tools, but I got the _senses_."

The conversation died between them as they climbed back to the second floor, mostly because Line was running out of breath just two floors up. Link had a little more stamina than that, having had a bit of training with Layna in the past two years. Granted, he could not disappear at will, but it allowed him to last longer during the day. Running a ship full of quirky airmen made that a necessity, as there never seemed to be a time of the day when someone was _not_ getting into trouble.

Layna joined them at the doorway to the outside, and they left the library after letting Line catch his breath. Instead of walking all the way back to the first hole, they used the debris from the fallen building to climb out of the new hole and took a couple of side streets to find the main road they had been using. The only way to tell which one was the main road was to find Leynne's group.

"Captain! Oveh heh!"

Leynne had spotted them stepping onto the main road first, standing closer toward the center of the island than expected. Link and Line hustled toward him as Biluf, Dubbl, Flower, and Lwamm stepped out of a nearby building.

Line was the one to ask the obvious question, "You found an open one?"

"As fah as you'h concehned, yes," Leynne replied.

"What about as far as _I'm_ concerned?" Link asked, sporting a half-grin.

"Lwamm had the key, Captain," Leynne told him.

Link nodded. "No doubt hidden well by her fist."

"Actually, she had it in her _shoe_ , Captain," Flower spoke up, unable to suppress the grin on his face.

"What did she open the dooh to?" Leynne asked.

Flower pointed a thumb over his shoulder as he spoke. "Looks like a small metal-working shop. Bunch of little knick-knacks on the ground floor, tools and work tables in between…" He paused to give a rather worrying sigh. "… and there's a furnace on the top floor.

"It looks like it's been used lately."

The crew traded looks with each other, although Biluf and Lwamm met more with confusion than astonishment until Dubbl translated for them. "Ah you cehtain?" Leynne asked.

Flower nodded. "I used a poker to rake through the coals a bit. There're still hot ones in the furnace."

"So there _are_ still people here," Irleen said in a low voice. She slowly turned to look around at the nearby buildings. "But _where_ are they?"

"Indeed," Leynne said. "And why has no one responded to Biluf's explosion? We can only assume at this point, so let's assume that they might not look _kindly_ onto ouh shenanigans." Flower snorted and quickly clapped a hand over his mouth. "We should be ready to leave if something weh to come up."

"And I'd like to work on that," Link said. "Leynne, I want Biluf and Lwamm to return to the ship with Line. They'll take the _Island Symphony_ over the island and see if they can find a river or source of water."

Leynne nodded. "I believe I undehstand youh reasoning," he said, "but I would like to point out that _most_ of the commanding staff is _heh_. Pehhaps it would be best if _I_ weh to retuhn to the ship foh this task."

Link took a moment to consider Leynne's words. Then he nodded. "Okay, Leynne, you and Line head back to the ship. We'll continue searching for supplies around here."

"Link," Line said, nudging Link with an elbow.

Link gave an annoyed look before adding, "One other thing. I want Line to handle command for this task. I'd like you to just supervise."

"Aaaah," Leynne droned with an understanding nod. "Cashing in on youh bets, gentlemen?"

"Oh, shit," Line muttered. "I completely forgot about that bet."

"So did I," Link admitted. "I just want you to go away."

"Very well," Leynne said with a nod. "Shall we, Line?"

"You got it, Lieutenant," Line replied.


	9. Under the Weather

Chapter 9: Under the Weather

…

Early evening set in by the time Link decided to direct the shore party back to the ship. He appreciated that they had at least found a workshop to conduct repairs to the _Island Symphony_ , and finding the library would help out Irleen (provided she could work quick enough with Cale being a surrogate arms and legs). However, they would need supplies soon, and, without access to the technoworks, Leynne already told Link that it would be two months if they continued on the single Sky Line back to the kingdom. Their stores had already been so heavy with just a single month's worth of fresh goods, rations, and fuel; two months' worth would weigh the ship down, and that would only prolong the journey back even more. It would be a long shot if they could not shorten the journey back or even go the opposite way on a returning Sky Line.

At the same time, knowing that there still might be people on this island had renewed Link's paranoia about breaking into buildings, so he discouraged Lwamm from kicking down any more doors. He had hoped that there would be some of these people around so that he could at least talk to them. Although, it was not until they were on their way back to the ship when Link realized there might be a problem with that. Hearing Dubbl, Biluf, and Lwamm talking in Geltoan reminded Link that they did not know if the people here spoke a language he knew.

As they were approaching the spot where the _Island Symphony_ had docked, the _Island Symphony_ was descending onto its previous position. Since they were already on the island, Link, Flower, and Lwamm tied off the mooring lines for the ship. The process of moving the ship into position looked to have been tricky business for the helmsman, and Link could partially understand why. Every island had a breeze that radiated out from the center, usually making it easy for ships to depart at will. The breeze on this island, sometime after Link had returned to the island with a larger shore party and before returning to the ship this time, had picked up enough strength that the breeze could be felt on the ground. As unusual as it was, there were occasions that this could happen, so Link was not so concerned about it. He just hoped that there was enough rope so the hull of the _Island Symphony_ would not bash against the rocky edge of the island.

After the ship was tied off, a door in the bulwark opened, and someone lowered a gangplank from the main deck. Instead of the shore party boarding, however, Line hustled down the gangplank.

"That looked a little rough," Link called to Line.

"No kidding!" Line replied. He jumped the last couple paces down the gangplank and onto the ground. "Brandon was cussing the whole way down. I thought he was gonna rip the wheel from its post." He stepped aside and indicated the ship with a nod as he told the rest of the shore party, "Lilly's got dinner waiting, guys."

"Go on and get something to eat," Link told the crew. He asked Line as the crew filed up the gangplank, "See anything up there?"

"We might have something," Line replied, "buuuuut…" He bobbed his head from side to side for a moment. "It's… not exactly what we were expecting."

"What does _that_ mean?" Irleen asked as she circled above Link.

"There isn't a river on the surface," Line said.

Link gave an exhausted sigh. "Oh, great…" he moaned.

"But there _was_ a river," Line continued.

"There _was_?" Irleen asked.

"Are you sure?" Link asked.

Line nodded. "It's just like that tunnel we found; it's been buried underground and built over."

"Where at?" Link asked.

Line pointed toward the northeast away from the golden sky behind Link. "It's on the east side of the island. Kinda snakes its way around until it spills over the edge."

"How can you tell if it's buried?" Irleen asked.

"As soon as we realized the river was buried, we started looking for access on the surface. And then Leynne realized it. _Wells_. There're wells all _over_ that area. Leynne thinks that, if we could just get access to one, we can send you down to get to the technoworks. What do you think?"

"It sounds _brilliant_ ," Irleen replied with an awed tone. "If the tunnel we found is any indication, the river should be just as accessible."

"Sounds good," Link agreed. "But how are our supplies doing?"

"Cale says everything should be good enough for a couple more days," Line replied. "Leynne suggested that we stretch out the rations and try to hold back on the cooking for a bit. Lilly… well, she kinda ignored him."

"Lilly doesn't have to make anything _extravagant_ for us while we're here," Link told him. "We don't have enough supplies to treat ourselves. I'll have Leynne tell Lilly to tone it down for now."

"Crapped out on the supplies, huh?" Line asked.

Link started scratching the back of his head. "Yeah," he admitted, glancing back toward the city. "I was hoping we'd run into someone by now, but whoever's still around just won't come out. Who's on watch tonight? Do you know?"

"Should be… Airman Hunter. I think."

"Make sure he keeps an eye out over the island. If there's anyone here, I tend to think some of those lanterns we've seen just might light up."

"Captain!" Link, Line, and Irleen looked up to see Leynne standing at the top of the gangplank. "We won't be depahting fuhtheh tonight, will we?"

"No," Link called back. "We'll investigate those wells tomorrow morning. It's already been a long day."

"Right," Leynne replied. "I'll have the sails stowed foh now; they'h tossing the ship about."

Link held up a thumb for Leynne to see. "Go ahead."

"Link?" Irleen asked.

"Yeah?"

"Layna didn't go aboard."

Link sighed. "Layna, get aboard and get something to eat," he told the air with an irritated tone.

Line immediately spun around. "Ah-hah!" he cried out. "I saw you that time, Layna! You jumped aboard near the stern!"

Leynne, still watching the boys, stood up to look around. He looked astern, then he looked ahead. "Sohry, Line," he called down. "She jumped onto the forecastle."

"Dammit!" Line declared, throwing one fist through the air in frustration.

"Hey, guys?" Irleen spoke up. "Is it getting… windy?"

Link glanced toward the buildings, but he had to quickly look away. The wind was strong enough that his eyes had started to water. Line also looked into the wind and immediately covered his eyes with a hand.

Then a gust came, and both boys staggered to keep from being knocked over. Leynne, turning to issue an order, was hit from behind and had to stumble a bit before regaining his balance. The ship itself visibly rocked, its timbers creaking.

Leynne turned and latched his hands onto the bulwark. "What's going on!?" he called to the boys over the sudden wail of wind.

"What _is_ going on!?" Line shouted to Link.

Link tried to look back toward the city with a hand blocking the wind from his eyes, his other hand holding his hat down. He could see dust rising from among the buildings.

"Link!" Irleen screamed. Link ripped his hat from his head and located Irleen fluttering frantically behind him. He used his hat to catch her and held the hat shut to keep from losing her.

 _Kkkkkh._ Link glanced down near his feet. He almost did not see the end of the gangplank slowly pull back toward the ship.

"Back on the ship!" Link shouted at Line. " _Now!_ "

Line spun and started up the gangplank, going slow now that the ship's rocking was making the plank unsteady. Leynne waved to him in encouragement while hollering over his shoulder; Link could not hear over the now deafening howl of the wind. Link did not dare move up the gangplank after Line, concerned that following might topple the both of them over the edge.

Another blast of wind nearly knocked Link over anyway. He took two steps away from the edge so that he was not at risk of falling over. Then he took two more just to be safer. He leaned into the wind, looking out over the city as if to find the source of this unnatural storm. He glanced over his shoulder to see if Line had cleared the gangplank yet.

He looked just in time for another heavy gust to hit. Link stood his ground.

The gangplank did not.

Leynne had pinned down one end of the gangplank with his foot, trying to hold it in place as Line stepped off. However, the fresh gust lifted the other end up from the ground. Both Line and Leynne had just a half-second to realize the gangplank was rising toward them. Leynne did not even have the time to form a surprised look; Line had his back toward it. The plank struck Line first, bashing him behind the head and knocking him to the deck. The impact caused the gangplank to spin, and Leynne took the edge of the plank across the face.

The new gust also rocked the ship hard; Link saw the mooring lines pull taut. He would have to jump the gap. So he moved further away from the ship. He would have to time the jump with the ship, or else he might simply smack into the hull.

He lost the chance before he could take it. The next gust enveloped him in dust. He was knocked off his feet and onto his stomach. After making sure he held his hat under his body without crushing Irleen, he looked up at the _Island Symphony_. Its rocking had turned to heavy jerking as the mooring lines did their best to hold the ship. Link could not help thinking that the ship itself was trying to rip free of the island to run away.

And it succeeded. Link watched as one, then two, then finally all four pylons snapped free of the surrounding rock. He heard the voices of his crew cry out over the sound of the wind. He did not see if the ship capsized; the wind shoved it further away until it was swallowed up by the dust surrounding them.

Thousands of thoughts flooded Link's mind. Before he could sort himself out, he found himself screaming into the wind, "NOOOOOO!" He raised one fist in preparation to hit the ground.

He stopped when he realized that he was still holding his hat in that hand. His thoughts cleared enough for him to clutch the hat to his chest. He turned on his belly with one goal in mind: find shelter. Facing into the wind was difficult, but Link squinted and bore it as he looked into the dust storm. Although he could not see the smaller buildings beyond, he knew the only direction he could find shelter in would be that way. He slowly stood, partially lifted by the wind. But he kept himself low and started walking forward. Then he managed to pick up speed for a quicker pace. Soon, he had a healthy jog as he realized that he could push harder against the wind.

He finally broke into a run after the wind and dust had rendered most of his exposed skin numb with cold. His speed picked up immediately, aided by the boots he wore. These same boots had saved him from death a number of times, and their enchantment was still strong enough to do it once more. Link had to look down to avoid having dust scratch his eyes. He could not tell how far away he was from the buildings. His first clue would have to be spotting the brick street before running headlong into a wall.

The dust subsided first, allowing Link to look up through teary eyes to see that he was close. He slowed to a hurried jog. He approached the door of the closest building and kicked near the doorknob. The door's metal frame bowed inward, and the door flopped loose into the building. Link then shoved his right shoulder into the door and forced his way inside. Something hooked the top of his left boot as he shuffled in, and he spun himself to keep from crushing his hat. He landed on his back, striking his head against what felt like stone floor. The wind rushed inside from the opening Link's feet created in the door, sending things Link could not see up in the air. So he jerked his feet out of the door, and the door closed a little more. He had to kick the door to force the latch back into the doorjamb.

Link allowed his occupied hand to settle on the floor. Then, in the darkness around him, Link broke down and sobbed for his crew.


	10. Never Hopeless

Chapter 10: Never Hopeless

…

Link had to take a bit of time to pull his thoughts back together into a coherent mind. He managed to set aside his blur of emotion toward his ship and crew so that he could focus on his new task: survival. He pulled off the blanket covering the closed window so that the setting sun could provide a little more light through more than just the broken door. This allowed him to find what looked vaguely like a fireplace. It was a raised construction made of brick with a chimney to the outside. Link looked it over for a moment. And then he found a small stock of coal in one corner of the single-room building, which he concluded was a house. After he raked the coals already in the fireplace only to discover that none of them still held any heat, he used a small shovel to add more to the fireplace. Then he loaded a red flare into his gun and aimed directly into the sand-like pit left exposed from underneath the pile of coal. When he fired it, the resulting blast sent up coal, ash, and sand that nearly blinded him. He backed away and waited for a moment. Once he was sure it was safe, he looked to find that the red flare had ignited the coal into a decent fire that lit the room better. So he covered the window again and set about figuring out how the blanket had gone over the door.

Irleen had watched him in silence. Once Link had released her from his hat, she had spent a few minutes watching Link sob on the floor. For that time, she had felt shock and sympathy and, if given the opportunity once more, might have dropped to the floor and cried along. Link suddenly getting to work afterward had jarred her a bit, and she was not sure if she should say anything. Her own mind gone, it felt like an eternity before she finally got up the courage to talk once more.

She waited until Link had succeeded in replacing the blanket over the door, which helped to cover the sound of the wind outside. "They're gone," she said in a hollow voice. "Aren't they."

"What?" Link asked, his breath heavy with the effort he had put in. But once his mind had processed her words, he took in a couple deep breaths and located her hovering above the window. "Oh." It was all he seemed to get out.

"What do we do now?" she asked.

Link stepped closer to her and leaned his shoulder against the wall. "Wait, probably."

"For _what_?"

"I saw th—" Link quickly cut himself off when a sob attempted to escape his throat. He sniffed and pressed his fingers into his eyes as he tried to suppress the urge to cry. The effort seemed to choke him; he thought he would throw up. But he swallowed the taste in his mouth back. "I saw… I saw the ship disappear from the island," he said in a shaky voice. "The dust made it hard to see. They're still around."

"How can you be sure?" Irleen asked.

"They've had… _two_ years to become good airmen," Link asserted, more for his own assurances than for Irleen's. "They're strong. They're _smart_. Leynne _will_ bring the ship back."

Irleen sighed. "Okay, Link. If you say so, I believe you. So… we wait."

Link nodded as he shoved himself away from the wall. "If this…" He trailed off as he tried to articulate the conditions outside. The howl of the wind and the rattling of the door and window seemed to illustrate what he could not say. "Irleen, did you notice anything strange about this wind before it picked up?"

"No, Link. But… it doesn't seem natural."

Link dragged his feet to a low-sitting bed that had been placed along an adjoining wall in front of the door. He sat down on the edge and stretched his legs out. "I kinda got that same impression. Winds have _never_ gotten like that on any of the islands back in the kingdom. But, if that's so… what caused it?"

"Well…" She hesitated as she fluttered toward the middle of the room. She sighed and said, "Maybe it has something to do with that… that _dark_ thing blocking off the technoworks."

"How?"

"The technoworks are capable of controlling the Sky Lines. It would take a lot of time, but it wouldn't be completely out of the technoworks' abilities to call up a storm."

"Something only a Grey could do?" he suggested.

Irleen had to pause for a moment, and Link thought he knew why. A Grey was a Sorian magician. In particular, a Grey was someone who could control the technoworks with precision and detailed knowledge of the system's intricacies. Link had a limited understanding of the technoworks, and he could only ever use it to affect the Sky Lines with Irleen's help. He had barely been able to use the technoworks to restore the Sky Lines two years ago when Cunimincus' crew had been causing havoc for the kingdom. There had been one Sorian, a Grey named Lutock, who had escaped and thwarted his demon captors by using the technoworks under Bold Island to find and (rather gruesomely) kill them. He had almost done the same to Link and Layna out of ignorance of their intentions. Now that Link was remembering, he realized that the technoworks under Lutock's control had changed to black. Granted, there had still been some shred of light to them, but was it possible that the technoworks on _this_ island were under a similar influence?

"Maybe," Irleen finally answered. "It's hard to say. But if there _is_ a Grey here, then he's been here for a _long_ time. We wanna be careful if we find him."

"And what if it _isn't_ a Grey?"

Irleen sighed. "I don't know. It… _would_ mean that something _else_ might have access to the technoworks." She paused, and then she added, "But that's all assuming the storm was _caused_ by the technoworks. There's no way to tell one way or another."

"I can think of a way. The wells on the east side."

"The underground river…"

Link nodded and glanced at the door. "But, I don't think we'll be getting to it _tonight_. We're lucky the wind didn't knock me over the edge."

"But it shoved the _Symphony_ away," Irleen pointed out. "You're telling me a whole _airship_ can get pushed away, but _you_ managed to stay?"

Link allowed himself to smile. "It's all about wind resistance. I was low to the ground; I was even lying _on_ the ground when it got heavy. The wind can't do much blowing against my shoes. The broadside of an airship is a much larger surface to push against. Aaaand I probably had at least some luck on my side."

"And… you're sure the ship wouldn't have gone down?"

Link nodded his head. "If Leynne lowered the sails in time, the ship won't have capsized. The ship is also bottom heavy because of the engine and all the spare parts in the orlop. They'll be all right." He took in a deep breath. "As soon as this wind dies down, they'll be back."

"It's too bad we couldn't explore a little more."

"I'm not arguing," Link said as he removed his boots. "My legs are tired. Between the walking around and the running… my legs feel like _jelly_. I think I prefer to rest here for now." He glanced around the room. "I… guess there isn't anything to _eat_ around here."

"Only if you're a Goron."

Link rubbed one cheek as he stared at the pile of coal. "Yeah, I don't think I have the teeth for it." He looked around a bit more. "I don't think anyone's _lived_ here for a while."

"Where are we, exactly?"

"Uuh… one of the houses on the outskirts, I think. I'm not sure. It was a little hard to see. All that wind kicked up a lot of dust. Probably from that building Biluf accidentally took out."

"Near where we docked?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I was just thinking… when the ship comes back, they might see the smoke from this fire and find us here."

Link nodded. "Yeah, you're right. _Especially_ since no one else here seems to have a fire burning in the middle of the day."

"You think this wind'll last all night?"

Link pushed himself backward into the wall. "Not necessarily. I'm just thinking I might sleep here for the night. And maybe hope the fire lasts that whole time in case they get back before I wake up."

Irleen fluttered over to the window and squeezed past the blanket. When she came back, she said, "It's still early in the evening."

"That's fine. I can use the extra sleep anyway." He gave a chuckle as he added, "It'll probably be the only quiet evening I'll have since we left the kingdom."

"Iiii don't know, Link," Irleen teased. "The crew's pretty good at finding you when they cause trouble…"

Link let his back slide against the wall as he lay down on the bed. Then the pouch on the back of his belt jabbed his lower back, prompting him to sit back up. "Whoops," he said. He scooted back to the edge of the bed and started removing his belts. "I probably don't wanna fall asleep with all this stuff on me."

"So what am _I_ supposed to do?"

"You can get some sleep, too, can't you?" Link asked as he propped his sword against the foot of the bed.

"I guess…" she replied as she looked around.

"Sorry there's no small bed for you."

Irleen moved over to a narrow table opposite of Link and started pushing some of the cloth and paper fragments out of the way. "That's okay. I think I'll manage."

"If you say so." Link snapped open his bracelet and placed on the sword hilt. Then he stretched out and flopped onto the bed.

 _Pak!_ "Owwww…" Link groaned as he sat back up. He reached underneath what he thought was a pillow to find a wooden block. "What the…?" Irleen giggled as she settled into a pile of paper. "It's not funny, Irleen."

"It was a _little_."

Link flopped back onto his back and examined the block in the firelight. "You know… this must be the only block of wood on the island. We haven't seen anything _else_ made of wood. I wonder where _this_ came from…"

"There're still probably trees somewhere on this island, Link. They might have just preferred to do thing with stone and bricks."

Link shrugged and dropped the block onto the floor nearby. He let out a yawn and stretched out again. "You settled in?"

"About as much as I expect."

"Good night, then."

Irleen gave an exhausted sigh. "Good night, Link."


	11. Horn and Ivory

Chapter 11: Horn And Ivory

…

Wet. Link felt as if he was coming out of a daze, and the first thing he noticed was that his feet were wet. When he looked down, he found that his feet, bare of boots and with his trousers folded up to keep from becoming wet, were submerged in water barely past his ankles. The water sloshed around in response to his movement and fell silent as he looked around. He could not see anything beyond the choppy surface at his feet, the area around him blanketed in darkness. He took one step forward and watched the ripples radiate from his feet and disappear into the darkness. He opened his mouth to call out, but he could not make a sound. Confused, he held one hand to his throat and attempted to call out again. It was like his voice did not exist. He looked around again. And then he remained silent, hoping to hear something other than the sound of his own breathing.

There was something else in the water. At least, that was his impression; he had no true way of knowing. Water was lapping against something else. He waved one foot through the water to be sure. Whatever else was in the water, it sounded like it was close. Then something pressed against Link's left calf. He turned to look.

His reaction was a subdued measure of shock as he stared at a person floating face-down in the water. The person was definitely an adult. His impression was that this was a man, based on the yellow jacket and white trousers he wore. As soon as he had a look at the clothes, Link realized that this was a uniform, one he recognized before. But where? Link could not tell what the man's frame looked like; the clothes on top of the water were causing them to bulge. His short, black hair was hardly so affected by the water, and Link began to feel as if he recognized the man. Of course, without seeing his face, Link could not be sure. He wondered if he should turn the man's head so he could see his face. Would the man react? Was he alive or dead? Well, if he was alive, surely, Link should pull his face out of the water so he could breathe. Right? So Link carefully reached a hand.

Another sound caused him to freeze in place. Creaking. At first, Link thought it was a door moving somewhere, and he looked around to find the source. He saw nothing new, but he found this sound to be familiar as well. He realized that it was not creaking. It was _croaking_ , like a person trying to use their voice.

Link looked back down at the body. He recoiled slightly when he saw that, without any interference from him, the man's head had turned. Link saw a pale profile, the man's jaw open as the croaking continued, one eye opened and looking up directly at him. Link swallowed hard. He knew who this was. He knew that croaking voice now.

Jared.

The croaking stopped. Then Airman Jared's mouth moved as Link heard the word echoing throughout their little world, "Why?"

Link felt his stomach twist into knots. He took a step backward. "Wha-wha—…" he tried to say.

"Why?" Airman Jared repeated. His breathing was raspy as he silently waited for Link to answer. When no answer came, he asked, "Why… did you… let me die?"

Link's body turned cold in an instant, but he could not tell if it was the temperature of the water getting to him or the overwhelming dread that caused the shiver to climb his spine. "I-I-I…" he babbled at first, not knowing how to answer as he took another step back. "I… I couldn't do anything. It was—It was out of my h-hands."

"You… stood there…" Jared said. "You… froze…"

"I-I couldn't _do_ anything," Link pleaded. "You-you were _dying_!"

"I… died… because…" Jared paused and took in a raspy breath complicated by the amount of water filling his mouth. When he spoke again, he spat out the water with the words, "… because… of _you_."

"The doctors—" Link began.

" _We_ died… because of you."

He knew. Link felt further shivers along his back as he saw the direction of the conversation. He looked up in hopes that Jared would disappear.

What he saw were more bodies lying face-down in the water as far as his eyes could see, each one clad in the same uniform as Jared. Further to his horror was the presence of a ship sitting with its keel on top of the water. Its rigging dangled over the weather deck, its masts fallen and its sails torn. Whole planks were missing from its hull, showing Link what felt like a sinister darkness on the inside of the mangled vessel. The vessel's bow pointed away from him, allowing him to read the words written in red on its transom.

—Link is a devil.

Link felt himself go numb. He turned to his left and started walking, walking away from the vessel in hopes that it would disappear. His pace was a slow, labored trudge with the water impeding him. Every time he came close to a body, he would carefully side-step and continue on. The bodies never seemed to end. Link could not believe so many men had perished on that ship. Could that ship have really held so many? He turned his head back toward the ship with the intention of examining its construction, wanting to see if this number was feasible. But the ship was gone.

And when he looked forward, there was another wrecked vessel in his path. This one appeared even more decimated, its keel so destroyed that the ship sat flat on the surface of the water. Its timbers had grayed with age and stood out from the hull in places that had either impacted the ground or had been blown open by cannonfire. Two of its masts were missing, the third having fallen overboard and now being propped against the bulwark on the port side. The angle it sat at allowed Link to see what was left of the bow, smashed apart as it was with its pieces floating on the surface of the water.

Also floating on the water were a fresh set of bodies.

Link did not know these bodies well, but he saw by virtue of the feathers decorating their heads arms that these were Sorian sailors. Most of them were shirtless and wore slacks cinched tightly around their waists. The only one that dressed differently wore a blue tunic because he, Link knew for certain, was a Hylian.

Link could feel his body grow colder and shakier. He turned completely around and sloshed away at a faster pace. He had to get away before one of them talked. He knew what they would say; it would be the same things that Jared had said. And as horrified as Link was to hear it, he knew that they were all right.

He tried to break into a run, kicking Sorian bodies aside as he made to escape. The additional effort caused the water to fight back against him until he fell forward.

 _Bam!_ He landed on something solid. He had closed his eyes in anticipation of the water, but he carefully opened them to find that he was no longer standing in water. He was on a wooden deck. His previous fears forgotten, he placed his hands on the deck and pushed up to look around.

The ship was narrow with three fore-aft rigged sails adorning its masts. Some of the deck's planking was old and graying while other pieces were fresh wood. He got to his feet and turned toward the stern. Atop the aftcastle was the ship's wheel. And the banner waving on the mysterious wind that he could not feel depicted an island with a pan flute in the white field above it.

It was his old ship. It was the _Island Sonata_.

The ship felt empty. Although his first command had only entailed a crew not much larger than Line and himself, somehow just standing in the middle of the deck made him feel alone and vulnerable. He spun where he stood, hoping that someone else was aboard.

 _You were alone_.

Link started at the voice in his head. A deep, cold voice. A voice of authority he had only ever heard once before in his life.

Once the initial shock passed, Link clenched his fists. "I wasn't," he told the sky to starboard.

 _You were alone. And you were stupid._

"I still survived."

 _Survived as what? Battered and nearly broken? And do you even know how many people died from your mistake?_

Link choked on his voice for a moment. And in that moment, he heard thunder rumble and turned to look at the bow. A large storm had swallowed part of the sky, lightning shooting across its surface as it billowed toward him.

 _You lost your ship. You lost your crew._

"I'm still here. You're _not_."

The voice paused. _Do you really think you can get rid of me that easily? A lesser being like you can only hope to scratch me._

"You lost."

 _Then how am I still talking to you?_

Link felt his defiance flee in a flood of logic and terror. He watched as the storm grew so large that he would be crossing into it at any moment. His voice was gone again, this time because he could not muster up anything else to say.

 _Shall I tell you how you failed?_ Link did not answer. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to will the voice away. _You started this downward spiral when you thought you could fight against me with one ship. The Sorians had more firepower than you. Did you count how many of them died? And you insist that chasing me in a small vessel crewed by one was right? You wasted your command. Whatever fool who saw to your promotion must have deeply regretted that mistake._

"Shut up…" Link tried to say as he thought about Captain Alfonzo.

 _You are a disgrace to captains throughout time. You should have died with your ship. Are you such a coward that you let your ship die without you?_

"Shut up!" Link screamed at the storm, tears escaping his open eyes.

 _You are dangerous. Instead of dying, you acted like a child and clawed your way back to the sky. You never took responsibility for your actions. You never took responsibility for the lives lost because of you._

"Shut up!" Link screamed again. "Shut up! Shut up!"

 _It is time for you to suffer, creature. It is time for you to take responsibility for what you have done. You killed the crews of two ships, and you forced the Sorians from their home._

"I never did those things!" Link screamed, his voice growing high-pitched and screechy from the force he put behind it. The deck began to shake underneath him, and he rushed to the bulwark so he could grab a nearby shroud. "You _caused_ it all!"

 _You are an idiot for thinking you could save them from it. What would your father have said about all of this? Does he know? Does he know that the son he foolishly put in command killed many and lost more than he knows?_

Link felt a stunned silence halt his arguing. "You… you shouldn't know…" he said in a weak voice.

 _We were all there, creature. Did you think that I could never discover your father's part in all of this? A bastard child in command of an airship? It would seem that you would have done better if you still had your mother to suckle on._

The shaking became worse. The storm swallowed the ship, sending it into almost pitch-black darkness. Wind blasted over the deck, and lightning flashed across the sky with its thunder threatening to rattle the ship apart. Link fit his forearm through the shroud and held on as best as he could. He could not summon his fury anymore.

 _It is time now, creature. My vengeance can only begin with you. It will end with the destruction of your kind._

Link managed to get a grip on his thoughts and shouted up at the storm, "NEVER!"

 _You no longer have a say in the matter._

The ship gave a violent lurch, and Link looked toward the bow. The bowsprit suddenly snapped out of the way as if the ship had run into something. Then the entire beakhead simply fractured into splinters. The forecastle tore apart next, and the ship's forward rigging was thrown about. There was nothing ahead of the ship that could cause such destruction, and yet the ship was falling to pieces as if it was made of nothing more than kindling.

The destructive force was almost upon where he stood near the middle of the ship. Then he spotted another figure approaching from the darkness. Large. Fast. Winged. Lightning flashed. Then Link felt all of his fear well into his throat upon seeing the gigantic maw flying straight toward him. He only had a second to scream. Then the maw destroyed the deck around him as it closed down for a single, decisive bite.

Link screamed anyway.

First, however, he opened his eyes into dimness. Then he sat upright where he had been lying in that same half-second and released a horrifying scream.

"AAAAAHHH!" a girl shrieked nearby. A light in the corner of his eye rose. "Wow, Link! What was _that_ all about?"

Link did not respond. His whole body felt frozen cold. His arms, draped at his sides, shivered in fear. He breathed hard and ragged. Images replayed in his head again and again in those first few seconds of consciousness, and every thought caused his innards to squirm about until he could feel the vomit stand on the back of his throat. However, his body was so paralyzed that he could not throw it up. Irleen tried calling to him, but he found her voice to be too far away.

For what felt like hours on end, Link relived his nightmare over and over again.

…

 **End of prologue.**


	12. Denizens

Chapter 12: Denizens

 **Main Chapters**

…

Link took some time before he was able to talk again. His voice shook as he recounted what little of his dreams he could. He had to remind her of Airman Jared, an engineer's mate from the Airliner vessel _Cloud Moon_. The same _Cloud Moon_ that, two years ago, had been shot down by Skyrider airships drafted into a navy formed by a creature posing as Princess Zelda. Airman Jared had been the only crewman to survive the ship's landing in the ocean. Link had been onboard the _S.E.S. Goddess's Tides_ , a steamer vessel on the surface, when the ship encountered the _Cloud Moon_. Airman Jared had been taken to the _Goddess's Tides_ and treated in the infirmary. However, his injuries had been fatal. In addition to that vision, he told her about seeing the wreckage of the _Horizon's Eye_ , a Sorian vessel that had been shot down not long after the _Island Sonata_. He knew Sorians had died on that ship, and he also knew that one of the four crewmen he had had for that journey had also died on that ship.

These two attacks had the same source: a bird demon called Cunimincus. The captain of a ship known as the _Smiling Gunner_ , he and his crew had been imprisoned around Forelight Island until two years ago, when his crew had escaped on the _Horizon's Eye_ before scuttling the ship. One of them, posing as Princess Zelda, had seized control of the throne and taken control of the Skyriders using their captains' loyalty to the crown against them. Cunimincus himself had once talked to Link while both of them were plunging from the sky. That had been the voice speaking to him at the end. Link did not know how much Cunimincus had read his mind back then, and he began to fear that, if Cunimincus was _not_ dead, he knew _everything_ about Link.

Irleen, however, had a vastly different opinion of Link's experience.

"It was just a _dream_ , Link."

Link had his face pressed in his hands while he sat huddled against the wall on the bed. He raised his head and asked, "How do you know?"

"What do you mean 'how do I know'? Link, I've _seen_ you having visions before. This isn't one of those times."

"You said the same thing when I was sharing dreams with Princess Zelda," Link pointed out.

" _And_ I corrected myself when we found out it was true," she countered. "But, Link, you don't simply _become_ a seer."

"I didn't say it was a vision," Link said. "I'm saying… I think—I think Cunimincus is still alive."

"Nuh uh," Irleen responded as she floated over to him. "Sorry, Link, but I'm not trusting your dreams _this_ time."

"Why? I told you before that Cunimincus talked to me. You believed me _then_."

"Because magic won't simply _allow_ a person to talk to another in their sleep," Irleen explained as she settled down on his knee. "I've had plenty of time to remember the manuals I read about telepathic communication since you told me about that. The number one thing that I remember is that you cannot communicate with an unconscious mind, and that _includes_ someone who's sleeping. Words and images get confused when you're dreaming; the fact that it was all _clear_ says that Cunimincus could _not_ have been talking with you."

"But… Princess Zelda talked to me in my dreams."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that might be because of that gem I gave to Koroul. That gem affects conscious thoughts; it can even _cause_ them. For those few days you were supposed to spend without your crew, you might've noticed your mind spontaneously focusing on them from time to time. At night, it would have made you think about them and end your dream; the intrusion would've been barely enough to fully wake you up. I've had a friend experiment with me using that kind of magic; I'd like to believe I know _mostly_ how it works. The princess _changed_ the gem when she got it. Didn't you ever notice that you'd be awake after she used it?"

Link gave her a blank look while he thought. Then he said, "I, uh… I _guess_."

"I remember you waking up _screaming_ once," Irleen pointed out. "It was _nothing_ like what you just did here. And I _do_ know that, after that time, you were pretty tired that morning."

"Up until I fell into that… crypt thing," Link said. "I-I think I know what you're talking about."

"This whole thing you two do now, while the both of you are awake?" she said. "It wasn't intended, but it's almost _exactly_ what the gem was made for. The only difference is that she can send _her_ thoughts back to you."

"What about the dreams she made?" Link asked. "Where the two of us were standing on the _Island Sonata_?"

"You told me she had to 'fool' herself with some of those images. It sounded to me like she was sending you images of places the both of you were familiar with, or else you might not have thought about the _Sonata_ back then. She pulled some really strange tricks, Link. I can't say whether it's all true or not, but I'm _very_ sure that's not what's happening now. You may not realize it, but Cunimincus is missing something valuable."

"What's that?"

"An imprint of your mind. When I made that gem, I copied your mind while you were thinking about your crew. Cunimincus would have had to do the same thing. When would he have done it?"

Link slowly shook his head. "I don't know…"

"On top of it, how did Cunimincus even know what the _Island Sonata_ looked like? There are just so many ways I can poke holes in what you experienced, Link. But the short of it is I think you simply had a nightmare."

Link leaned back against the wall and sighed with a hand pressed over his itchy eyes. "Okay, so maybe it was," he said. "It was just so… _intense_."

"The question is if it was just a one-time thing or you've been having issues lately," Irleen said as she rose from his knee. "Is something going on?"

Link shook his head. "Nothing in particular. I've been thinking about the Sorians lately because we've been here."

"Hmm. Maybe this place is just that creepy. You have to admit, this isn't really the kind of place you wanna fall asleep in. Deserted and drab. Us being alone here probably doesn't help things."

Link allowed himself a small smile. "Maybe." They fell into silence for a moment. That was when Link noticed a change in the sounds nearby. "Hey, do you—"

"Yeah, I hear it," Irleen said, her voice tinged with curiosity. "What is that?"

Link could not determine the sound, either. The wind had definitely died down sometime between when he had gone to sleep and when they had finished their conversation; his memory failed to tell him when since he could not remember if it was still blowing after he woke up screaming. What had replaced it sounded disjointed and mangled. One thing he was certain of was that there was more than one thing making noise outside. His years spent on an airship or staying at the Skyriders' home office had dulled his senses, so he took time to recognize that there were people awake and moving about outside. This changed the direction of his thoughts as he slowly crawled across the bed to the gear he had left near the foot.

At the same time he lifted his sword up so he could start putting it on, Irleen asked, "What is it, Link?"

"Voices," Link replied as he stood up from the bed.

"The crew?"

Link shook his head. "I don't think so. I can't tell what they're saying, but that sounds like _much_ more than the crew. They _all_ can't be here at the same time; someone needs to be with the ship."

"You gotta be _kidding_. These people are _nocturnal_?"

Link glanced at her with confusion prevalent on his face. "Noc…tur…"

Irleen gave an annoyed sigh. "It means they're awake at night. This is _bizarre_ , Link. What kind of people wake up late at night and then go to bed in the early morning?"

"Line when he doesn't wanna do work?" Link asked, clicking the bracelet onto his wrist.

Irleen only looked at him in silence, simply hovering over the bed while he put on his gun belt. Then she said, "Granted, but that's just Line being _lazy_."

Link moved over to the door and held up a finger to signal her to be quiet. He pulled the blanket off the doorway and threw it over the foot of the bed. Then he turned the doorknob slowly, and the locking button popped out with a snap that caused Irleen to jerk in surprise. Once Link felt the latch release, he pushed forward with his other hand held ready to draw his sword. His first view of the street was toward the outskirts, which were obscured by a curtain of black that was only revealed by the lack of stars just beneath the horizon.

In the other direction, Link saw light. The windows on a number of the buildings had been opened, and they cast squares of dim light on the street. Those lights revealed… something walking the streets. There were about a dozen of them nearby, all of them simply wandering around. They had no real features, at least nothing Link could make out from where he stood. They all wore ragged, earthen-colored cloaks with hoods over their heads. The shadows cast by the hoods made it nearly impossible to see anyone's face.

Link relaxed a moment and pushed the door open further. "Come take a look," he told Irleen as he dared a step outside.

Irleen came to a hover over Link's head. "Oh, my…" she breathed, her voice carrying an edge of shock. "Link, it's _them_."

"Who?" Link asked.

"The shards, the fragments," Irleen replied. "These… these _aren't people_. It's barely even _life_."

Link had to step aside so he could glance up at her. Then he pointed at the figures on the road. "That's _these_ people?" he asked. Irleen did not respond. So Link strode forward toward one who was coming around the corner.

"Link, _wait!_ " Irleen suddenly shouted in alarm.

It was too late. Link had put his hand on the shoulder of the figure.

" **I didn't murder the calendar. You must be confused.** "

Link succeeded in spinning the figure toward him. The deep voice sounded like it echoed and was very level in its delivery. The words immediately caused Link to release and back away a step. The man's hood tilted at Link, the movement indicative of mild confusion. Then, as meaningless as the motion, the figure turned around and walked away from Link.

Irleen rushed toward Link. "What happened?" she asked with panic coloring her tone.

"I-I don't know," Link replied.

"What'd he say?"

"I-I…" Link paused to collect his thoughts. Fortunately, the sudden voice had burned its words into Link's mind, if not from the creepiness in the voice itself then by the bizarre denial of guilt. "He said… he said 'I didn't murder the calendar; you must be confused'. It was… it was just so _weird_."

"That's a pretty random thing to say," Irleen agreed. "Did you… see anything?"

"Huh? Uh, no. I-I couldn't see under the hood." He glanced down the side roads he stood near. "What do you think?"

"I don't know. I don't know what these things _are_." She looked toward the black horizon behind them. "Think we should signal the _Symphony_?"

Link shook his head. "Too dangerous. They can't pull up to the edge of the island; they could smash the hull against the ground."

"Could you fire flares at the ground to show them where the island is?"

"Still too dangerous. It's pitch-black out there. If we don't have a good idea of what the edge looks like, we could miss something the ship could run into. We don't have enough supplies to do any serious repairs on the ship. Even the damage to the mast _now_ is too much for us."

Irleen sighed. "So we… we _definitely_ have to wait until morning."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I just… Link, if you saw what I could see, you'd think this place just rose to a new level of creepy."

"Iiii don't know, Irleen." Link started looking between the different figures on the street, most of which seemed to simply ignore him. "I don't see what you do, and I'm… I'm feeling pretty creeped out right now."

"So… what's the plan now?"

Link gave a sigh and glanced back at her. "Look around. Maybe find someone who'll want to talk to us."

"And how are we supposed to find the ones who want to talk to us? Link, I don't even think these things know we're _here_."

Link shrugged. "We gotta try."

The decision made, Link started down the road with Irleen hovering as close as she could. If the island in the daylight was surreal, the deep of night felt like something out of a dark dream. The dim lanterns further down the road only served to vaguely indicate that there were buildings around them. Link stopped to look at one and found that the soot on the inside had not been cleaned lately, and he supposed that this was true of many of the others along the road. Not that this seemed to bother the island's local population. In fact, it seemed to Link and Irleen that _nothing_ seemed to bother them, including Link's presence. Most of the words Link could make out did not seem to have any context to them at all. Or coherence. Things like "My third foot is itching again" and "When did my walls turn maroon?" and "I wonder if I'm standing upside-down, does that mean that the rest of the world is also upside-down?" made Link wonder if _anyone_ knew anything about what was happening on this island. Many of the inhabitants looked to be hunched over, putting them at eye-level with Link. But no matter how many times Link tried to look, he still could not see under their hoods.

So he decided to rip one off. It was more a matter of frustration since he could not seem to make anyone acknowledge him. He had advanced further in toward the center of the island, about where Biluf had blown open the ground. Two of his attempts to stop someone were met with a sidestep that was not even noticed. So Link grabbed one person's hood and pulled it back.

The response was a piercing shriek that caused Link to stumble backwards into another. The person behind Link fell aside, and Link hit the ground hard. Even then, he pushed himself backwards as the creature continued to shriek at the sky with no one stopping to respond. Even without the shriek, Link felt that just looking at the person without the hood would have been frightening. Man or woman, Link could not tell. They had no face. They had no defining features at all, including skin. What Link saw was a vaguely head-shaped mass of semi-transparent black against the glowing silhouette of the nearby buildings. No mouth was open to release the scream, but Link did notice something akin to jaw movement when the creature finally decided to settle down. He watched as a pair of arms then protruded from the cloak—no, passed _through_ the cloak from underneath and reached up to pull the hood back on. As with everyone else, there was almost no acknowledgement of Link's presence as the creature simply went about its own business.

"You okay, Link?" Irleen asked after what felt like an eternity.

"Yeah," Link replied as he returned to his feet. "But I probably shouldn't do that again." He sighed and brushed himself off. "Did you _see_ that thing? It was like it was… I don't know, _blank_?"

"Practically _no_ distinguishing features," Irleen agreed. "Those fragments of its _life_ , though… when you did that, they sped up like they were excited."

"Is that something we could work with?" Link asked, clapping dirt off his hands.

"Maybe, but I don't think they like you taking thei—… Oh, my…"

Link looked up at her. "What is it?"

"Link, look at your foot."

Link glanced down at his foot. Then he noticed that he was standing on a cloak and stepped backwards off of it. "Oh. Where'd that come from?"

"I think that's the one you bumped into."

"You mean—" Link looked around as if to find someone listening. He was also looking around for any creature that was _not_ wearing its cloak. Then he asked in a quiet voice, "I didn't _kill_ him, did I?"

"I don't know if you could've _avoided_ it," Irleen said, her own voice mimicking Link's silent panic. "The way these people's lives are fragmented… it must make them _very_ fragile."

"Could be why they're ignoring me," Link said as he squat to examine the cloak. He picked it up and carefully turned it over, but the cloak appeared to be made of just a single layer of material. "See anything?"

"It's completely empty."

Link sighed and ran a hand down his face. "I-I didn't mean to."

"Link, I don't think there's anything you could've done. These people seem so screwed up, it's a wonder they're still alive _now_. If you can even _call_ them alive at _all_."

" **It's the way things are here.** "

Link shivered at the sound of the deep, masculine voice and looked up and around. He found one of the people standing behind him and stood up. "What, just walking around waiting to die?" Link said in a hotter tone than expected.

" **You can't help the way we are.** "

"Wait…" Irleen said. "You're… actually talking to us?"

" **It's been known to happen.** "

"That doesn't mean it _has_ to," Link pointed out.

"Look, we're new here," Irleen said with a slightly argumentative tone. "It's not like anyone's actually _told_ us what's going on."

" **No one will hold it against you.** "

"Oh," Link uttered. "That's-that's good, I guess." He glanced around. "Everyone else has been ignoring us. Are you… You're willing to _talk_ to us?"

" **Evidently, it would appear to be the case.** "

"Right," Irleen responded in a snarky tone.

Link hissed at her to be quiet. "Look, we're explorers from a place called Hyrule," Link explained. "We came looking f—"

" **You're not going to find them here.** "

Link, surprised by the interruption, took a moment to respond. "The Sorians… were never here?"

" **Maybe. Once before. But not now.** "

"We—… Well, how long have _your_ people been here?"

This time, the voice took on a wistful tone as he responded, " **Oh, who's to say? Memory is a fickle thing.** "

"Were you born here?" Irleen asked.

" **Only if it concerns you.** "

"Huh?" both Irleen and Link uttered, exchanging a look with each other.

"Uh… it was—it was just a question," Link said in a calming tone. "She didn't mean anything _personal_ by it."

" **Sometimes, it's just so hard to know what people mean.** "

"I'm sure it was just an innocent question," Link assured him. "Right, Irleen?"

"Of course," Irleen replied defensively.

" **There are so many things we want in life. Sometimes, I just want a little clarity.** "

Link simply blinked at him, dumbfounded. Irleen asked, "Uh… what are we not being clear on?"

" **Oh, don't worry. I'm sure she'll understand.** "

"I… don't think _any_ of us understand," Link pointed out.

" **That would be the queen. If you'll excuse me, I must mingle.** " Link and Irleen then watched as the figure turned in a different direction from what he was facing and started forward at the same dragging pace as the rest of his people. They remained still as they watched him disappear into the crowd.

Then Irleen asked, "Okay, what… what made us think that he was actually _talking_ to us?"

Link shook his head. "I have no idea." He scratched the back of his head as he glanced around. "This is _nuts_. We need to find _someone_ to talk to."

"Link, I just had an idea. We know we're not getting anywhere with people walking the streets, right?"

"That's what it looks like," Link replied with a nod.

"Well, if you think about it, if you're out on the street, it means you're going somewhere. How many times has a person stopped to help you on the street?"

"We-uh… maybe… once or twice?"

"Exactly. So we need to find someone who isn't in a rush to get somewhere. Now, we _know_ that someone is using the metalworking shop that Lwamm broke into. Maybe whoever _owns_ the shop will talk to us."

Link latched a hand onto the back of his neck and rubbed as he thought. Then he nodded and told her, "It's the best idea we have to work with. Let's see if we can find that shop again."


	13. Blending In

Chapter 13: Blending In

…

After about an hour and a half of wandering around, Link and Irleen concluded that they were lost. The main road that they had continued down had ended at an abandoned four-story building that had been raised in the middle of the street. They had taken side streets to the next major road only to find that they had been on a completely different road from the first one they had found that morning. Of course, they had not noticed this until Irleen had made a comment about the lack of shops. So Link had decided to resort to a different means of navigation and jumped onto one of the two-story buildings using the mysterious feather he had received from "Constable Fieldview" two years ago. Here, it was much easier to see that the stars were still around, and Link had used them to determine that they had wandered farther west from where they had first explored the city. From there, Link had dropped back down into the streets and made his way to the east as best as the crooked streets would allow.

Along the way, Link had tried his best to not bump into anyone else. He had succeeded, of course, but he had still been quite unprepared for the alien environment around him. Just as before, people had appeared to be carrying on a conversation with thin air. Or a wall, which Irleen had supposed was a little saner than randomly stopping in the middle of the streets to talk. And, even without Link trying to pull hoods off, there had still been blood-curdling screams from out of nowhere. Mostly, they had sounded in the distance, which caused both of their spines to shiver as they had wondered what the cause had been. More startling, however, had been when the screams were close by. Shrill and without warning, Link would nearly jump out of his skin while Irleen, after the third scream, had decided to experience the rest of their exploration from the safety of Link's cap. At one point, Link had concluded that he had become paranoid because he had the impression someone had followed him from one of the side streets to about when he had jumped onto the building.

Now, he stood in the middle of a large road with the locals walking past without a care. He gave an exhausted sigh and told Irleen, "Okay, we're lost."

"I'm not surprised," Irleen replied. "Now what?"

Link looked toward the tower at the center of the island. "I don't know. We _should_ be there by now, but we're not. Nothing looks familiar."

"It's too bad we didn't have a way of marking any of these buildings."

Link tilted his head when he realized that Irleen might have had an idea. "Wait a minute." He paused to think a little more. "We _did_ mark a building."

"We did?" Irleen asked.

"The building Biluf knocked over."

Irleen was quiet for a moment. Then she spoke in an irritated voice, "Okay, maybe we should go over the definition of 'marking', Link."

"No, just listen. All we have to do is look for a gap in the buildings. That was a pretty _big_ one she took out."

"And _yet_ , I don't think anyone else noticed."

Link cringed inside and tried to force down the thought that people had been _in_ that building. Then he jumped. With the mysterious blue feather in his pocket, the experience was like having a sudden gust lift him off his feet and hurl him into the air. The first time he had used the feather (unwittingly), he had tripped over the edge of the _Island Symphony_ 's only launch and skid his face against the deck. Two years later, he had learned how to jump from Layna. She had even taught him how to get just a little more momentum out of a jump, although it only applied to when he was jumping for distance. For height, it was simply a matter of swinging his legs forward and letting his knees absorb the landing.

Being on top of the building helped refresh Link a bit. Walking among the locals felt draining. He took in a deep breath and let the breeze brush his fatigue away for a moment. Then his eyes wandered the island's horizon. He considered for a moment that they still might be too far away for him to spot it.

Then he sighed and pressed his hand over his eyes. "You're not gonna believe this," he told Irleen.

Irleen's response was flat. "We passed it. Didn't we."

"Yyyyep… We're… maybe two streets on the wrong side." He moved back to the side of the building and looked down into the crowd. "Going down."

"I'm ready."

Link held his cap to his head as he dropped into a gap in the crowd near the building. The same burst of power that let him jump so high cushioned his legs as he hit the ground again, leaving him able to immediately start walking.

Two streets later, he turned to continue toward the center. He did not understand how, but he felt like walking on this particular street was wrong. At first, he thought it was just the screaming. Walking in this direction, he could hear that much more of those distant screams seemed to be coming from further ahead. Then he noticed that the crowd had thinned out, which only made him wonder why more people on this street were screaming so much. He felt it had to be something on the street that was different from the rest of the island. It led him to believe that it might have to do with the demolished building or the two holes in the ground.

He found that he was half-correct.

While he was approaching the hole, he was walking in the same direction as two of the local people. They walked ahead, and, when Link saw the hole further down the road, he wondered if they would turn, fall in, or float across like the ghosts that he believed them to be. Instead, they stopped. Link was only one step away from either of them when they both broke out into a high-pitched scream. He jumped backwards and covered his ears while Irleen shouted from under his hat. He watched both figures writhe where they stood. Once they were finished, they turned away from each other and left, appearing hunched over even more than the others nearby.

"What the hell was _that_?!" Irleen asked.

Link advanced toward the hole, and he felt a shock hit his spine. "Irleen, come out here," he said. "Now."

Irleen emerged from Link's hat. "What is it?"

Link pointed at the hole.

A hole that waved and rippled like the surface of a lake. Link could not tell this was happening because the surface was pitch-black even under the nearby lights. He would have been contented with that, except he could see the movement on the edges of the hole. That was all: no reflections, no shimmer of light off the surface, no view of the bottom, just black like there was a hole in the world.

Irleen gave only a small noise to indicate her lack of coherent thought. Then she said in a defeated tone, "This place just gets stranger and stranger. I can't wait to get out of here."

Link indicated the black pool in front of him. "This doesn't worry you? It creeps _me_ out."

"It's just water, Link," Irleen said. "It looks like something flooded the library. I bet it has something to do with Biluf's explosion."

Link gave her a frown. "It's just _water_?"

"Yeah. It probably messed up a bunch of those books, but, really… I'm just too tired to care right now. I'll probably freak out about it in the morning."

"Are you feeling all right?"

Irleen sighed. "I think I just need some sleep. Still, it's nothing to freak out about, Link. I can see the roots on the inside. All I see is water. Inconveniently- _placed_ water, but that's all."

Link turned and squinted into the pool. Apprehension still tinged his voice as he said, "Okay, if you say so." He pointed out the street to his left. "Shall we go to the store?"

" _Please_." Link found that he could not blame her. Even as he moved around to the front of the nearby shop, he barely had the energy to force a small jog out of his legs. After that, he could tell that his walking pace had turned a little sluggish as he moved up the street. Irleen was noticeably slower, taking her time to follow in Link's wake and forcing him to stop twice to let her catch up. He could only think that his lack of sleep tonight might be responsible. Back during Cunimincus' escape, he had been able to manage a sleepless night or two. He must have simply lost that ability over the past two years.

Once they were inside the shop, Link's mind felt as if it snapped back to awareness. The lamps hanging on each wall showed that the room on the first floor was composed of rows of shelves littered with machined parts. Bolts and brackets, nuts and gears, whole pulleys and even hand tools, Link could not help feeling that Flower's initial impression of the shop was greatly understated.

"Ooh, this is _perfect_ ," he told Irleen. "This isn't just some piddly little shop. They found a _machine_ shop."

"What's the difference?" Irleen asked.

Link spotted movement on the opposite side of the room between the rows. "Leynne can use this shop to make the parts he needs," he said as he slid between the shelves. "It's the best as long as it has the tools."

"Okay, I think I can get behind this," Irleen said with a small enough uptake in her voice that Link grinned at her reply.

On the other side of the shelves, Link found that one of the locals, wearing a maroon cloak and hood, had busied himself by rolling a short wax pencil across the desk he sat at. His other elbow rested on the desk, and what might have been a chin laid in his hand.

Link leaned over and held up a hand as he said, "Excuse me." The creature did not respond, but this was something Link had expected. He stepped closer to the desk and repeated a little louder, "Excuse me."

He was a little surprised to see a pair of brown eyes turn up at him. He was not sure if seeing the eyes stare up at him from under a dark hood was better or worse than no eyes. The creature gave a raspy sigh and spoke with the same type of echoed voice as Link and Irleen had heard before, " **Can I help you?** "

Irleen gave a delighted giggle while Link put on a smile. "You're-you're _talking_ to us?" Link asked.

" **I don't have anything better to do,** " the creature replied with boredom prevalent in his slow voice. He set the pencil aside and stood up with a grunt, pressing its hands on the desk as if the action required more effort than he could manage. " **I might as well entertain the interior workings of my mind.** "

"What?" Irleen asked. "What do you mean?"

" **C'mon, do you** _ **really**_ **have to act like that? For hallucinations, you're a little stupid.** "

"Ha- _hallucinations_!?" Irleen shrieked, forcing Link to slap his hands over his ears. " _What?!_ "

"Take it easy, Irleen," Link told her. "I'm standing right next to you."

" **Yeah, take it easy,** " the creature complained. " **I've never known a hallucination to be so noisy.** "

"We are _not_ hallucinations!" Irleen snapped as she jerked forward at the creature.

" **That's what** _ **all**_ **my hallucinations say,** " the creature pointed out.

"Will it be a hallucination if Link here _punches_ you!?"

The creature shrugged and sat back down. " **That's fine. It's been a while since one of you punched me.** "

"Wow," Link commented in a flat voice. "You've had some… interesting hallucinations."

"You're _not helping_!" Irleen snapped at him.

"Irleen, just calm down," Link said in a level tone. "Look, he's the only one actually talking to us, so… I don't know, why don't we just _go_ with it?"

"Great," Irleen moaned. "My existence is getting cheaper by the year."

Link offered her a weak smile before turning back to the creature. "Look, uh… sorry, what's-what's your name?"

" **You don't know my name?** " the creature asked, tilting his head to one side.

"Uh… no, not really," Link admitted.

" **Damn. I was hoping you'd know this time.** " Irleen made a scoffing sound, and Link hissed at her to be quiet. " **What color am I wearing?** "

Link gave the creature a blank look. "What… what _color_?" he asked. The creature nodded. "Uh, well, uh… red? Does that sound right?"

"Maroon," Irleen corrected.

"Isn't that just another word for 'red'?" Link asked.

" **I think I like the fairy's word better,** " the creature said. " **So… I guess you can just call me 'Maroon'.** "

"Okay," Link said. "Maroon, then. You, uh… you own this shop, right?"

" **For some time now, yes.** "

"Are you the only one here?"

" **I've never needed anyone else here. Why are you asking me this stuff? You should already know this.** "

Link and Irleen looked at each other, and Link could only offer a shrug. Then Irleen told Maroon in as clear a voice as she could, "We're… taking a look at your life. Questioning things. Uh… self-evaluation. Is this the first time we've done this?"

" **Hmm. I** _ **think**_ **so.** "

Link pinched the bridge of his nose. "Irleen…"

"Hey, _you_ said to go with it," Irleen argued.

" **Huh. This is actually quite an experience,** " Maroon commented aloud, his voice filled with an intrigue that drew a confused look from Link. " **So, you guys are gonna warn me before I do anything** _ **dangerous**_ **, right? The last ones were** _ **really**_ **helpful in that department.** "

"Uuuh… sure, no problem," Link replied. "Uh… look, we… we might invite some other hallucinations into your shop later. Do you mind?"

" **Not particularly. Are you planning on doing some work? Because, well, my lathe has been broken for a while.** "

"We'll have to remember to ask Leynne if he needs a lathe," Link whispered to Irleen.

"What's a lathe?" Irleen asked at the same volume.

Link thought for a moment. "I don't know."

" **What do you plan to work on?** " Maroon asked.

Link, lacking any other explanation, simply said, "My airship."

" **Oh. That's nice.** "

"Imaginary airship, Link," Irleen whispered.

"Yeah, I got it," Link whispered back. Then he raised his voice to ask Maroon, "Look, do you mind if we ask you some more questions? Stuff about this island?"

" **Part of my self-evaluation?** " Maroon asked.

"Uh—yeah," Link answered, glad that he had a questionably reasonable explanation to latch onto.

" **Okay.** "

Link sat on the front edge of the desk with one leg resting on the surface, careful not to knock the cup full of wax pencils off the corner behind him. "What's this island called?"

" **I… I'm not sure. Does it need a name?** "

Link and Irleen shared a look. "Well, it _would_ be nice," Irleen told him.

Maroon shrugged. " **I can't think of anyone who would** _ **use**_ **it.** "

"How about your people?" Link asked. "How long have they been here?"

" **My people?** " Maroon asked.

"The people outside," Link said, pointing a thumb at the door.

" **There are people outside?** "

"I guess that answers _that_ question," Irleen commented.

"Do… you think you're the only one here?" Link asked.

" **I've never been really sure,** " Maroon answered. " **My hallucinations have been getting stronger lately. I think. The problem is I can't tell the difference between a real person or my own imagination. They're both… I guess they've just become the same to me. Even if they were real, it's not like they'd talk to me anyway.** "

"Why not?" Link asked.

" **Well, they're just** _ **like**_ **that. Even if you** _ **think**_ **one is talking to you, chances are you're completely** _ **wrong**_ **.** "

"Yeah, we noticed that," Irleen said. "Do you know why they're like that, what caused them to be like that?"

" **I can't say. I've** _ **always**_ **known them to be like that. They don't seem to go anywhere; they just wander the streets. You can't** _ **touch**_ **them, or else they scream.** " As if sensing the opportune time, someone not far from the shop suddenly released a blood-curdling scream that caused both Link and Irleen to jump. Maroon, however, held out a hand to indicate the door. " **Yeah, kind of like that. I think I gave up trying to understand them a long time ago.** "

"How long have you been here?" Link asked. "Were you _born_ here?"

" **Eeeeeh… I… really don't know. This place is pretty much everything I've ever known. Not that I can say I know a lot. It's-it's a little weird. Like when you first wake up and you kind of have to remember who you are after a dream?** "

"I've never had to do that," Irleen said.

"Me, neither," Link said.

" **You're hallucinations; why would you?** "

Link gave a weak grin when Irleen groaned at Maroon's response. "He's got a point," he told her.

"Of course he does; he _lives_ here," Irleen replied. "And I thought talking to _Sello_ was hard. At least _he_ knows I'm a fairy."

Link's grin became wider, and he even had an audible chuckle in his voice before he could finish saying, "He also 'knows' that we're sailing under water and that Cuccos live in the engine."

" **What's a 'cucco'?** " Maroon asked.

"It's a kind of bird," Link told him.

" **Oh.** " He looked between the two of them. " **What's a 'bird'?** "

"What's a…? Are-are you _serious_?" Irleen asked.

" **Yes.** "

"Uh… wings, feathers?" Link tried to explain. "Flies?" He held up his hands and flapped them as he added, "Chirp, chirp?"

"Link," Irleen said with a touch of flat annoyance. "I hate you right now."

"I'm talking about _birds_ , not _you_."

"I _am_ a bird."

"You're a _Sorian_."

" **Is that a bird?** " Maroon asked.

Link gave a small shrug. "Kinda."

"Shut up," Irleen told Link. Then she turned to Maroon and said, "You're not helping."

" **My hallucinations are getting weird. I don't think I've ever seen two of them arguing before.** "

"Okay, I'm getting sick of playing this game," Irleen told Link.

"Look, we're getting answers," Link said. "We won't be doing this for much longer."

" **Yeah. This is actually kind of** _ **fun**_ **. What else do you want to know?** "

"Uh…" Link droned, looking to Irleen for a response.

"Well… do you know anything about the people that live here before _your_ people?" Irleen asked.

" **No, not really. I didn't even** _ **know**_ **there were people living here before us.** "

"Really?" Link asked as he slid off the desk.

"Did you even know about the library underground?" Irleen asked. "It's not too far from your shop."

Maroon shrugged. " **Sorry, but this is about all I know, just this shop. If it's underground, you can probably see why I'd miss seeing it.** "

"Okay, I've got one," Link spoke up. "Other than you, is there _anyone else_ on this island who… well, if you started talking to them, they'd talk _back_?"

" **Iiii don't know,** " Maroon droned as he thought. " **I imagine that if I tried talking to anyone else, they** _ **might**_ **think they're hallucinating.** "

"You don't say…" Irleen commented in a flat voice.

" **The people here aren't** _ **quite**_ **all together. You've heard the screaming. You've seen the people wandering the streets. Very few people here can even** _ **perceive**_ **that there might be something beyond this island.** "

"Do you know anyone that _does_ , though?" Irleen asked.

" **Uh… no. It's been a long time since I last spoke to anyone that** _ **wasn't**_ **in my mind.** "

"I guess that keeps you from being lonely and bored, right?" Link suggested. "Can you think of anyone at all?"

" **I'm trying, but my head is just so unclear. That's…** " He indicated Link and Irleen with a semi-transparent hand. " **I mean, that's pretty much why I'm talking to** _ **you**_ **.** "

"Okay," Link said with a nod. "Would you… excuse us for a minute?"

" **Sure.** "

Link indicated Irleen to follow him. They moved between the shelves to the opposite side of the room. Link stood where he could still see Maroon moving around in his peripheral vision as he talked to Irleen in a low voice. "Well, what do you think?" he asked.

"I think this guy's playing cards with a two-card deck," Irleen replied. "He looks as fragmented as anyone else we've met."

"Except his eyes," Link said, pointing to his own eyes. "Did you see those?"

"Yeah. Anything near them looks like normal life, but the rest of his body is like a fishbowl. It makes me wonder if he just happens to be _less_ fragmented than everyone else we've encountered."

"So it _can't_ be a coincidence. As long as we find someone with normal eyes, we should be fine. Right?"

"Maybe someone with _any_ normal body part," Irleen amended. "But yeah, it looks promising. I just hope there's someone a little more coherent than _him_. Having to fake being one of his hallucinations is getting on my _nerves_."

Link sighed. "At least it's _something_."

"What do—" Irleen began. But when Link turned to look at Maroon with a sudden jerk, she cut off and followed his gaze.

Link started through the shelves toward what he now perceived to be an empty desk. "Maroon?" he asked. Stepping out of the shelves, he looked off to either side. "Maroon?"

"Where'd he go?" Irleen asked as she rose nearly to the ceiling to look around.

"I don't know," Link said. "I _thought_ I saw him fall or something, but I didn't hear anything." He stepped around the desk and looked down at the stool he had been sitting on. "Irleen!"

"What, what?" Irleen asked, dropping down to Link's level.

Link moved the stool aside so that she had a clear look at Maroon's cloak. He looked up at her with shock in his eyes. "Is he…? He-he _can't_ …"

Irleen dropped down to the floor. "It's all right, Link," she said with a relieved tone. "He's still alive. He looks like the one I found yesterday. I think he just fell asleep."

Link let out a relieved sigh and pressed his shoulder against the wall. "Okay," he said with a nod. "Wow, that just… There was no _warning_. Can you tell why he did that?"

Irleen rose and looked around. "Link? It's morning."

Link stood up straight and had to angle himself to look out the door on the other side of the shelves. "C'mon," he told Irleen as he moved around the desk again.

His pace had picked up, and he rushed out of the building onto a street once again barren of life. The lamps along the street were all out. The sky was still navy, but Link was certain sunrise was not too far away. Both of them glanced back inside to see that the lamps were still burning in the shop.

"Wow," Irleen commented. "This is _crazy_. Did we just not _notice_ them clearing out?"

"We probably _wouldn't_ have noticed if it wasn't for Maroon," Link said as he turned to her. "Just one hint of light, and they all go _out_? You're right; it's _crazy_."

"They couldn't have been awake for more than… what, six hours? Seven?"

"This time of year, it should be about eight and a half hours of night." He glanced down the street. "It's light enough, we could signal the _Island Symphony_ and have them dock."

" _Please_ ," Irleen replied. Link nodded and started down the road after pulling his flare gun out. "This whole night has been one _serious_ ride. Can you imagine going through _day_ after _day_ like that?"

"I don't think I _want_ to," Link said as he opened the flare gun's breach. He found a flare still inside and pulled it out to check the shell. "What do you think? Are we green or blue?"

"Do you have a color for 'tired and disturbed by being on this _freak_ island'?"

"Green it is," Link said as he put the blue flare back on his belt. He had to look at two other shells before finding a green flare. As he loaded the gun, he commented with a grin, "Well, we learned something today."

"What's that?"

"The locals are a little crazy."

"Understatement of the year."

Link took aim so that the flare would arc toward the area of the island where the _Island Symphony_ had previously docked and fired. _FZZZzzzzzzzz!_ Moments later, as they continued down the road, green light burst to life in the sky.

Then, just minutes after Link's flare, another spot of green rose from the distance beyond the boundaries of the island. It caused both of them to give a sigh of relief.


	14. Together Again

Chapter 14: Together Again

…

By the time Link and Irleen were close enough to see the island's edge, the _Island Symphony_ had already docked. Link became concerned upon realizing that both mizzen sails were down. That was about as far as he got with his evaluation of the ship because, in the next instant—

 _Whump!_

"Wah!"

 _Ka-fwump!_

—Link took a flying tackle from behind. He reeled from the impact with the ground, although he had actually managed to save himself from hitting his head by catching himself. His attacker's arms were wrapped tight around his stomach, and the tackle had hurt his back, so he remained on the ground to recover from the shock. And to indulge his attacker.

"Nice to see you, too, Layna," Irleen said in a flat voice.

"Where the hell does she _come_ from?" Link asked himself. Shouting sounded from further ahead, and Link had to prop himself up on his arms to see what was happening. At least three of his crewmen were jogging toward him, so he pushed up a little more and said over his shoulder, "Layna, can I get up now?"

"Ay'a, My Kyabtin," Layna answered as she stood up. Link got to his feet and turned around to look at her. Layna, wearing her green work shirt and brown trousers instead of just her black suit, was steadily reaching a hand toward Irleen.

"I don't need you to _pet_ me," Irleen told her, her voice now irritated. Layna jerked away and quickly hid her hands behind her back.

"Captain," Leynne called out. Link turned back to find that he, Line, Dholit, and Dubbl were coming to a stop just in front of him. "Good, you've suhvived."

"Sentiment's the same," Irleen said. "We were worried you wouldn't be coming back."

"Damage?" Link asked.

"Light damage to the hull," Leynne said, turning and indicating the ship with a hand. Link began walking while his crew escorted. "We've also had some of the standing rigging snap, and the sail mechanism on the poht mizzen-mast has failed."

"That whole windstorm was like sailing through a Sky Line _sideways_ ," Line added.

"Any injuries?" Link asked. "I saw you two take the plank across your heads."

"Bumps and bruises mostly," Leynne said. "Aihman Gillam has seriously injuhed his hand, and Aihman Botu dislocated his ahm. But the hull is sound, and the crew is all accounted foh. The only ones who've been missing ah you and Ihleen."

"Aihman Huntah expressed amazement to see light on the island during the night," Dholit spoke up. "Have we discovahed civilization afteh all?"

Link stopped near the gangplank and turned back to look at his nearby crew. "It's… not what we were expecting," he told them in an exhausted voice.

"How so?" Line asked.

"Everyone on this island is…" Irleen started. Her faltering caused the crew to look up at her. Link sidestepped so it would not feel as if they were just looking at the top of his head. "Wrong. I-I can't think of any other way to describe it."

"Wrong?" Dholit asked.

"Everyone walks around with cloaks over themselves," Link said. "They… don't have any other features."

"Their bodies are little more than transparent shells," Irleen continued as the crew shared confused looks with each other. "Those fragments of life I saw before are _them_. When they go to sleep, it's like they're nearly dead, but, awake… they're… spooky."

"Is theh any indication of hostility?" Leynne asked with a concerned tone.

"I think 'hostile' is the _last_ word I'd use," Irleen said.

"They practically _ignored_ us," Link said.

"Wheh have they come from?" Leynne asked.

"Featureless shells," Irleen reminded him. "We'd have better luck identifying them by their _shadows_ than their bodies."

"We _did_ manage to talk to one of them," Link added. "Maroon. But… he could barely remember anything about _himself_ , never mind the island."

"Now, a moment," Leynne said, raising a hand to stop Link from talking. "You _did_ speak to one of them."

"Yeah?" Link replied, confused.

"And you _both_ undehstood," Leynne presumed.

"Yeah, why?" Irleen asked. Leynne had just opened his mouth when Irleen droned, "Oooooh."

"Oh?" Link asked, looking up at her.

"Link, take out my translator gem and put in on the ground." Link put his hand into his trouser pocket and removed the oval amethyst. Once he set it on the ground, he looked up at Irleen. "Kakòrōl ahà?"

"Nope, still not used to it," Line said as Link picked the gem up again.

"That settles the matteh," Leynne said. "We know who they ah. Oh… ratheh, _what_ they ah."

"I don't undahstand," Dholit said, sidestepping to get a better look at Leynne's face. "'What' they ah?"

"My gem only translates for people who speak the same language as whoever _holds_ it," Irleen explained. "For both of us to understand them, they must be speaking Hylian."

"In essence," Leynne said, "the people heh _ah_ Hylians."

"Well, _were_ Hylians," Irleen said while stunned looks passed among the group.

"Something is _definitely_ wrong with these people," Link said. He turned and looked up at his ship. "Dubbl, did you finish replacing the rigging?"

"No, Kyaptin," Dubbl said.

"Okay, I want you to make that your priority," Link told her as he turned back around. "Leynne, how bad is the damage to the mechanism on the port mizzen?"

"Much less than the _stahboahd_ mizzen," Leynne said. "A few pahts should suffice, but we don't have those."

"Well, we have access to that shop Lwamm opened," Link said. "I'd like you to take a few airmen and get to work on repairs."

"Of couhse, Captain."

"The rest of you, go ahead with your normal shore duties. Dubbl, you'll be in charge of the deck once Leynne leaves."

"Kyaptin?" Dubbl asked.

"I didn't get any sleep last night," Link explained. "I wanna at least get in a nap before we go look at those wells."

"Yes, Kyaptin."

"Okay, get to it, guys," Link said, pointing a thumb over his shoulder at the ship.

"Link," Leynne said as Line, Layna, Dubbl, and Dholit boarded the ship. "Might I have a wohd with you?"

"Sure," Link said as he walked up the plank with Leynne behind him. "What is it?"

"Well, you know that I'm not one to live on innuendo and paranoia," Leynne said, "but I have cehtain suspicions about this place that I feel I should bring to youh attention."

Link stepped onto the deck and moved aside to allow Leynne to board. He leaned a hip on the bulwark, mostly because he was tired of walking around. "You have it."

"You make it sound _serious_ ," Irleen commented as she circled above Link's head.

Leynne flagged down Lwamm and asked her, "Hixwuman an dosh."

"'Anw _doc_?" Lwamm asked. Then she nodded her understanding and told him "Ay'a, Lyayn" before jogging off.

Link pointed after her and asked, "What'd you ask her to bring?"

"We still have one of the pylons we weh moohed to," Leynne explained. "The othehs slipped the lines once the ship broke free."

"Is this part of what you want to tell me about?" Link asked.

"Undeniably," Leynne answered. He crossed his arms and let out a sigh. "If I wehn't a membeh of this crew, I could not find myself believing what I am about to tell you.

"I think that ouh encounteh with the seveh winds was an act of sabotage."

Link blinked, trying to process what his second-in-command had just said. Leynne was right to caution him about not giving in to paranoia; Link's first instinct was to tell him that he was being just that. He was also right to mention that, if it had not been for this ship having seen so much two years prior, the accusation would be quite unbelievable. Between stories about living rocks that controlled the kingdom's winds, monsters the size of buildings, and an ancient airship crewed by demons caught in a magical storm, it was hard _not_ to hear something absurd and take it at face value. The only other possibility was that Leynne was drunk. Considering the sobering effect Link's chief engineer had on any sane person, it was safe to assume that no one on-board had an urge to exceed their daily grog allotment.

Irleen's response told Link that she was on the same page. "You know," she said, "I think the ridiculous part is that you have a valid reason for sounding like you've lost your mind."

"All the same, I'd ratheh yield to paranoia," Leynne commented. He took in a breath and continued, "I think ouh separation from you, Link, was engineehed. It seems a little too convenient that the two of you weh marooned on the island while the ship was blown aside by a powehful gale from practically _nowheh_. The fact that we have neveh encountehed this soht of activity on any island in Hyrule fuhtheh makes the situation sound suhprisingly convenient."

"Well, it _was_ freaky," Link agreed. "I'll give you that. But with all we've seen this morning, it doesn't _exactly_ mean that the island's out to get us."

Leynne glanced over his shoulder toward the starboard staircase. As if on-cue, Lwamm came onto the deck from those stairs with a wooden pylon in her arms. Leynne unfolded his arms so that he could point to her. "I might agree with you if it hadn't been foh _this_."

"What is it?" Irleen asked as Lwamm approached the group.

"This is the pylon we saved," Leynne said. "Once we weh suh we had some distance away from the island, we checked the rigging and hauled in the mooring lines. As I said, one mooring line managed to save this pylon."

"Sometimes you get a bad mooring," Link said with a shrug. "Even _you_ 've seen this before."

"From the aged piehs and rotted bollahds of Fohge Island, I can undehstand," Leynne said. Then he placed a hand on one of the steel bars protruding from the bottom of the pylon. "But this pylon has fuhtheh anchorage to the edges of the island. If we ah to assume that the edges of the island ah solid rock, this is quite suspicious." He tugged on the pylon, forcing Lwamm to adjust her hold on it (and give him an irate glare) while he indicated the ends of the steel bars with a hand. "These steel bahs ah pehfectly straight, and the ends ah cleanly cut at an angle."

Link and Irleen were quiet as they tried to think of the point Leynne was trying to make. Irleen was the first to say, "Yeah, I'm not following you."

Leynne was just about to make his point when Link said, "If the pylon was tugged free… then there should be some sort of damage to the bars. Right?"

"Precisely," Leynne said. "These bahs should've been bent while the ship was pulling them free of the rock. And these ends…" He used a finger to trace the shape of the end of one bar as he described it to them. "The fact that these weh eitheh cut oh broken at an angle indicates that theh might have been a fuhtheh length to the bah, angled to help anchoh it to the suhrounding rock. The cuhvatuh at the back of the break indicates that the full length of the bah might have been angled… around twenty degrees oh so. Wheh these bahs broke is fah too pehfect foh these cihcumstances."

"Oigh," Irleen grunted as confusion set in.

"What do you mean 'too perfect'?" Link asked.

"Had this been a natural break," Leynne continued, "I would expect to see paht of the bent bah still connected to this piece. Oh pehhaps not see _any_ paht of the bent bah at all, including this cuhve at the back. Wheh these two pieces of steel broke, which probably wehn't even exposed to the same stresses, is even and consistent with each otheh. The way these bahs broke, it would be simple to then _pull_ the pylon out of the rock."

Link nodded while Irleen bobbed up and down in synch with his motion. "Which would've caused the _Island Symphony_ to break away in the heavy wind," Link concluded.

"What was that about the island _not_ being out to get us?" Irleen asked.

"'Imtowu, Lwamm," Leynne said, giving the pylon a pat.

"'Imayn baytha, Lyayn," Lwamm told him before she walked away with the pylon, presumably to put it away.

"I'm awah of the extent of the technowohks' abilities," Leynne said, looking up to address Irleen. "Is theh any reason to suspect that the _technowohks_ ah behind this?"

"The wind? Maybe," Irleen answered. "But the thing with the pylons? I don't think so. The technoworks can be pretty big; I'll bet they're pretty extensive under _this_ island. But they don't go all the way out to the _edge_ of an island. And the technoworks can't control solid rock or anything inside that rock. They bring rock and soil and water from the surface, and they'll bind the rock together to make a solid structure underneath the top layer of soil. But they _can't_ control how or when that's done."

"But it _may_ have controlled the wind," Leynne reiterated.

"Yeah, that's possible. But someone would have to _tell_ the technoworks to do that."

"Nevehtheless," Leynne said. "Theh appeahs to be a saboteuh on this island."

Link took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "We'll try being cautious about this," he told Leynne. "No one leaves the ship unless there's someone with them, and _no one_ goes into the town without giving a good excuse. Right now, I can't think of too many, so, unless you take them to the machine shop in town, no one leaves. Pass the word among the crew."

"Very good," Leynne said with a nod.

"Link?" Irleen spoke up.

"Hmm?"

"Layna."

"Oh," Link uttered. He paused for a moment to think. "Uh… have someone explain to Layna that we'd like her to stay in sight when she's not on-duty," he told Leynne. "I know she can take care of herself, but I'd feel better if she didn't sneak around while we're here."

"Ay'a, My Kyab—"

"Yaaah!" Irleen hollered in surprise.

"Yikes!" Link shouted while he jumped forward. Leynne was startled by their surprise and had already taken steps backwards before Link could collide with him. Link spun around to find Layna standing where he had been, eyes wide and shoulders shrugged as if she was apologizing to him.

"I've the feeling that youh ohdeh has already been accepted," Leynne commented.

Link gave an exhausted sigh and placed one hand over his heart. "Man, I'm so jumpy. Leynne, take over. I'm gonna go get some sleep."

"Me, too," Irleen said as she followed Link toward his cabin.

…

"9/19, Expedition Day 35.

"I didn't get a chance to put in a log entry last night due to being separated from the Island Symphony. This island experienced a freak windstorm yesterday evening, and the mooring pylons that the ship was attached to broke free of the island's shoreline. Come morning, Irleen and I returned to find the ship lightly damaged but the crew well and accounted for, if a little battered themselves. The mechanisms controlling the sails on both of the mizzen-masts have been damaged; Leynne is looking at a machine shop we found on the island in the hope that we can make repairs.

"And it turns out that this island is inhabited. Even more bizarre, it's inhabited by Hylians. I may have an explanation, though. I know that, back a few decades ago, there were a number of self-sufficient expedition-type ships that left the kingdom in search of other islands here in the sky. None of them were heard from again, but I'm willing to bet that these people used to be the crew of one of those ships. And I say used to be because they're not quite Hylians anymore. I don't know what to call them. Irleen says that they're fragments of life inside a shell, and just talking about them seems to give her shivers. They seem harmless, but they are also very unpredictable and prone to varying amounts of insanity. We managed to talk to one of them, Maroon. I might look in on him sometime during the night. If anything else, we might get a few more answers out of him about this place.

"But, it looks like we have a serious problem. Leynne has good reason to suspect that the windstorm that pushed the Island Symphony away from the island and broke the mooring pylons away may have both been someone's doing. I share his opinion of the situation, but I haven't been able to understand what the point was. If it was to get me away from the ship, they didn't do a good job. If the purpose was to scare the crew away, again, it didn't accomplish much since I was left behind. It might've been to show me what the island looks like at night, but then, what would be the point in pushing the whole ship away? There's something going on here, I can feel it. I just hope me and my crew will be able to escape before anything bad happens.

…

Link woke up late in the afternoon, which came as a surprise. He ate a quick dinner before gathering Line, Layna, and Gold. They left the ship in the _Conductor_ , a cutter that had had its mast and sails replaced with a single lateen that spanned the length of the boat but was much shorter than the original mast. The _Conductor_ 's single advantage to a large vessel like the _Island Symphony_ or a smaller vessel suited to sailing in the vicinity of an island like a junk was that it had a powerful engine which provided forward motion without an external propeller. No one was sure how this was accomplished, mostly because no one wanted to stand behind the _Conductor_ while that noisy engine was active. Line stood at the helm and used a compass built into the pilot station's partition to steer the boat toward the eastern part of the island.

Here, the buildings did not get much higher than two stories, offering a good view of the streets below. And whereas the streets in the southern region were straight, crooked, and jagged, the streets here looked to have been planned by a two-year-old with a crayon: squiggly. At best, Link could see a single, continuous road that wound its way through the buildings and looked much larger than any other road they had seen so far. Branching from that were short streets that divided and converged in directions much less organized than the south. The homes and businesses below took on many different shapes from triangles to long and narrow structures two blocks in length to circular to match the curvature of the surrounding roads. But the one thing Link focused on were the wells that Gold pointed out to him. Each one was built at a bend in the main road, usually at the point where the main road turned back to continued on its way toward the edge of the island as slow as possible.

Link and Gold directed Line to land in the straightest part of the main road they could find, one that could accommodate the _Conductor_ 's length and width.

 _Bam!_ The jolt produced by the _Conductor_ 's keel meeting the brick road caused Gold to curse while Link's hand slipped off the bulwark, nearly throwing him to head-first overboard. Layna grabbed the back of Link's tunic before he could go any further.

When Link recovered, he turned to the pilot's station and said, "That'll do, Line."

"You _think_?" Line asked, showing him a grin.

Link allowed his own smile to show. "Gold," he called to the other side. "Toss the bags overboard."

One thing that Alfonzo, Captain of the _Grand Sails_ and Link's father, had insisted on was that the _Island Symphony_ left with two sets of sandbags. Link now understood why. No airship or launch had an anchor because most of them were never designed to land in water (the _Island Symphony_ being a rare exception). Therefore, there were no need for weighty external anchors, and no airship or launch was likely to dock in a place without bollards or some type of pylon to moor to. But here on this new island, mooring to the outside of the island all the time made getting around inconvenient. Without internal docks such as those used by island-bound utility junks, they needed to improvise a way to keep the _Conductor_ still. Therefore, sandbags, the weight of which was equal to a grown man. Link and Gold heaved four bags overboard. Even though the ropes were slack, the _Conductor_ was not as likely to drift into a nearby building even _with_ Line remaining at the helm.

The next to go over was a rope net off the transom. Link used this to climb down the two-story drop between the transom and the ground. Once he was on the ground, he looked down the road behind him. He could see a river being buried underneath these thousands of bricks. But it raised the question of why. Why would the Hylians who had landed on this island so long ago want to cover up a river, one of the necessities of life that the sky-dwelling people needed above all else?

Even more concerning: was it the same reason they buried the Sorian's lost library?

"Cap'n!" Gold called down. Link looked up as he and Line carefully lowered a toolbox holding a lantern, a bundle of rope, a handful of metal stakes, an extra belt of flare shells, and a sledgehammer. Link reached up to grab the box, but his fingers caused the box to tip. Link quickly dodged aside as the sledgehammer, with no way of remaining secured to the toolbox, slid out from under the handle and hit the ground next to his foot. "Whoop. Yeh okay, Cap'n?"

"I'm fine," Link called up as he took hold of the toolbox's handle. "C'mon down."

Line, Layna, and Gold joined him on the ground a moment later (with Layna achieving this by leaping over the side to a nearby building and then dropping down from that). Although this left the _Conductor_ empty, Link felt that it would be untouched if they returned to the _Island Symphony_ before dark. Besides, his standing order was that no one went onto the island alone, and he did not feel it was safe to leave Line alone in the launch. They wandered south along the main road until they came to one of the massive bends. In the middle of the bend was a well. And as they approached it, the group discovered that the well was closed by a massive layer of stone bolted into the brick structure.

" _Man_ ," Line exclaimed. "What's a guy gotta do to get a _drink_ around here?"

He showed Link a grin, and Link rolled his eyes. Link then asked, "Gold, do you think you can break that open?"

Gold scratched at his short, blond hair for a moment, pondering the well. "I can _try_ , Cap'n," he replied with a shrug.

Link nodded and indicated the well with a hand. "Have at it."

Gold set the head of the sledgehammer on the ground and rested the handle on his knee so that he could roll up the sleeves of his shirt, exposing muscular arms which probably made up a third of Link's body weight. Link swore Gold's bicep winked at him as Gold picked up the sledgehammer again. Link and Line backed away a step. Gold held the hammer with his hands apart as he raised it over his head. In the same motion, he then slid his hands together and brought the hammer down on the stone cap. _Paink!_ The stone barely seemed to budge. Gold slid the hammer off the top and repeated the motion instantly, as if it was second-nature to him. _Paink!_ Again, not much of a hit, but Gold swiftly delivered another blow. _Paink! Paink! Paink! Paink!_

 _Paink! Paink!_

 _Pogh!_ The surface finally cracked down the middle. Gold's next blow caused the crack to widen by knocking stone into the well. _Pogh!_ A gap opened, so Gold shifted to knocking out the larger left side of the stone. _Pok! Pok!_ Link thought he could hear the stone falling into water below, but Gold's constant hammering as he moved to knock the rest of the stone away made the sound unclear. _Pok! Pok! Pok! Pok!_

When Gold was finished, he dropped the hammer. "Wshew!" he exclaimed. He put a hand on his forehead. "Barely a sweat, Cap'n."

"Nice work," Link told him as he peered into the well. He saw nothing but black, but he could hear running water. "Good. We've got water."

"I _still_ don't get why they cut off the river," Line said as Link handed Gold a stake. "That's kinda important."

"I'm worried that they might've closed it off for the same reason they closed off that library," Link told him. He picked up the bundle of rope and began to untie it. "Still not sure what that is, though."

"I just hope it was for something stupid," Line said. "Like they didn't like the color of the _water_ or something." _Pank! Pank!_ Line looked to his right to see Gold driving a stake into the brick ground just a few paces away. Then he glanced over his shoulder at Layna, who only responded with a curious look. "Look, Link, I know I _don't_ know what's going through your head half the time, but you look like you're getting ready to actually go _inside_ this thing."

"That's the plan," Link replied as he pulled one end of the rope loose.

"What for?"

Link gave him an annoyed look. "The _technoworks_ , Line. It's the reason I sent the ship out to look around."

"Oooooh," Line said as he remembered.

"Layna's going down with me. You'll stay up here with Gold."

"Why does _Layna_ get to go?" Line whined, pointing a thumb over his shoulder at her. " _I_ haven't gotten to see the technoworks yet."

"Because Layna has her own way of getting in there, _and_ she's capable of taking care of herself if we get into trouble."

"Big deal. I know how to scream like a little girl; I'd be fine."

"I also trust the _two_ of you to haul me up fast if there's a problem," Link told him as he began tying the rope around his waist. "We don't know how well Layna understands Hylian, so I'd rather have her down with me where she can hear me clearly." Link then glanced over at Layna. "No offense, Layna; I'm sure you understand Hylian better than you let on." Layna only tilted her head in confusion.

Line cleared his throat and pulled back his shirt to reveal his bodysuit-clad upper arm. "Well, I guess I'm still good for a few things around here," he said as he flexed his bicep.

Link, just about to throw the rope toward Gold, paused to glance at Line. "Is that a pimple on your arm?" he asked.

"Whatever," Line replied, slapping his flat bicep. "That's pure muscle there."

"That's cuz the fat's 'angin' off the other side," Gold said as he stepped over to take the rope from Link.

"Aw, _screw you_ , Gold!" Line snapped.

Link picked up the lantern and held it out to Line. "Light this for me."

"Why me?" Line asked, sounding offended.

"Because you're the only one carrying matches," Link said as he pulled himself up onto the edge of the well. Line grumbled to himself and snagged the lantern out of Link's hand.

"'Ow long yeh think yeh'll be down there?" Gold asked.

Link took in a breath and sighed. "I don't know, probably a couple of hours," he admitted. "I don't have Irleen with me, so we can't change the Sky Lines _yet_. But it'll be useless to bring her along if it turns out we can't access the technoworks this way either."

"And what _if_ we can't access the technoworks this way?" Line asked after touching a lit match to the lantern's wick.

Link shrugged. "Gotta be another entrance somewhere. We just keep looking. The main thing is we have water now."

"If it's _good_ ," Gold said.

"It's good," Link said as he accepted the lantern back from Line. He pulled a length of rope and tied a bowline on a bight around the lantern's handle. "Ready?"

"Yeah," Gold grunted as he tugged on the end of the rope he had tied to the stake. "That's good an' tight."

Link swung his legs so that they dangled inside the well. "Okay. Just take it slow; I wanna see if there's anywhere I can walk."

"Careful, Cap'n," Gold said.

Link nodded. He picked up the lantern and let it hang down in the well. Then he carefully slid into the well while he used his feet against the inside of the well to keep from falling. Gold held the rope and had to whistle at Line to get him to help out. Link's pace was lacking mostly because he was trying to make sure he did not get tangled in the rope or hit the lantern as he slid inside.

Then his feet slipped.

"Whoa!" Link cried out in surprise as he suddenly plunged into the well. The slip caused him to strike his head as he fell in, and he lost sight of what was happening.

"Cap'n! Cap'n, yeh arright?!"

"Link!"

Link blinked and shook his head. It made his head rush, cluing him in to the fact that he was hanging upside-down by his waist. His vision darkened a bit, but he had enough sense to grab the rope at his waist and pull himself until he was upright again.

"Link!" Line hollered.

"I'm okay!" Link hollered back. He looked up to see Layna poised over the well, prepared to drop into it if necessary. "I'm all right!"

He looked down into a cavern about three stories deep into the island. The scant light assured Link that there was blackness in two directions, but he could at least make out the shimmer of the slow-moving water beneath him. Even better, he had a clear view of banks on either side of the river. The water was a soft rush through the cavern, something of a delightful break from the silence the rest of the island provided.

"What do you see!?" Line called down.

"This place is a huge _cave_!" Link shouted back up. He listened to his voice echoing away for a moment. "There's dry land on either side of the river, but I don't know how to reach it!"

"Can yeh swing tae it?" Gold asked.

"It's a long way away," Link replied. He looked down at the water again. "I think I'd be in the water before I reached it." He looked up at Layna. "You got any ideas?"

"'Ow deep's the wa'er?" Gold asked.

"I can't tell."

Layna looked over at Gold and Line and used a hand to motion downwards. "Yeh want us tae lower 'im?" Gold asked. Layna nodded. "'Ang on, Cap'n! I think Layna's got an idea."

Link felt Gold and Line lower him further. With the lantern descending with him, Link had a better view of his surroundings. The brick above him looked like someone had simply laid a large wall over the cave. The walls on either side were bare earth with a few roots protruding here and there, much like the tunnel to the library. He could not focus on much else; he began to slowly spin around as they lowered him further.

When Link was low enough, he hollered while pulling his feet away from the water, "Hold up, whoa, _whoa_!" The rope jerked to a stop. He dared to lower one foot down. As his boot penetrated the water's surface, he found that the flow was not strong enough to carry him away. The water was up to his knee when he found the bottom, so he lowered his other foot until he was standing. "Okay, gimme some more slack! I can walk to the edge!"

"Got it," Gold shouted back, although it was now barely louder than a whisper. The rope slackened, and Link trudged to the bank on the inside of the bend. Once he was on dry land, he pulled another stake out from his belt and thrust it into the soft earth further up the bank. He untied the lantern to set it on the ground. Then he untied the rope from around his waist.

He thought he heard a commotion from the surface and looked up just in time to see Layna fall into the cavern. He was not worried, though; as she dropped, she appeared to swing on something invisible for a moment. It gave her enough momentum that she kicked into the dirt wall above his head to slow her descent a moment. From there, she simply landed on the bank near him. He shook his head as he tied the rope to his stake.

"Hey, guys!" Link called up to the well. "Keep your eyes and ears open! We'll be back as soon as we can!"

"You got it, Link!" Line shouted back.

But before they started walking, Link stepped back down the bank into the water. He leaned over and cupped his hands to pick up some water to take a sip. It was fresh, the way a flowing river _should_ taste. He splashed his face with the rest. "Perfect," he told Layna. Then he pointed upstream. "Let's get going."

The walk proved to be a bit boring, but Link was hardly surprised. Not a creature stirred in this cavern, probably the result of covering it up from the outside. It still concerned him that the Hylians on this island would do such a thing. However, it was not long before Link realized that, if the residents of this island had gone crazy after all this time, maybe there was _no_ reasonable explanation for this. Maybe this feature was simply a victim of the residents' descent into madness. It could even go a long way to explaining why the island was as it was now.

A couple of hours must have passed before Link finally found something other than more cavern, which was slowly shrinking as they came closer to the river's source. Actually, it was Layna that first noticed something. About halfway through the fifth bend, Layna grabbed Link's shoulder to stop him.

"What?" Link asked.

"Zabiyc," she answered.

Link leaned forward to follow her gaze across the river. True to her word, there was a large space on the opposite bank that was pitch-black. Even after Link turned so that the lantern could cast more direct light, the space, which was the size of a doorway, remained black against the barely-visible cavern wall.

"Just like the library," he told Layna. She nodded in response, eyes still locked on the doorway. "Here, hold this." Her gaze broke as she accepted the lantern from Link. Link then pulled his flare gun and opened the chamber. It took him a moment to find a green flare from his belt. "I think it's safe to say this place won't catch fire," he commented as he readied the gun. He pointed the gun at the doorway. "Head's up."

 _FZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzz!_ Link flinched from the sound. The flare hit the opening and bounced off. Then the flare erupted into green light. This also caused the flare to flip up and fall into the river, dousing itself as the water carried the shell away.

Link gave the doorway a disappointed look. "Well _that_ was stupid." He looked at Layna. "How about one of your throwing blades? Maybe we can _cut_ through it."

"Ay'a, My Kyabtin," Layna said. Link reached a hand out to take the lantern. But instead of handing it over so she could retrieve a blade, she simply jerked her free arm. Link barely saw the blade fall out of her sleeve before she caught it behind her back. Then she flung it underhanded.

The blade made contact with the black mass; Link had no doubt about it since he had once seen her throw the same kind of circular blade (well, he had never actually _seen_ her throw it), skip it off his sword while he was in the middle of a fight, and embed it in a Lizalfos' eye. However, the blade rebounded and dropped to the ground. The black mass in the middle of the door remained undisturbed; there was not even a sign that the blade had penetrated. Link glanced back at Layna. It was probably the first time he had ever seen her look offended.

In fact, when he saw her jerk her arm again to get another blade, he put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "Don't," he told her. Her response was a surprised look in his direction. "You'll just waste blades." Layna gave a careful nod and lowered her arm, appearing to stow the blade out of sight. Link nodded upstream. "C'mon. Maybe there's another opening ahead we can use."

Layna allowed him to take the lantern. She lingered behind for a moment, eyes cast down at the water and one hand holding the shoulder Link had touched.


	15. The Gate Has Eyes

Chapter 15: The Gate Has Eyes

…

"Same day, 1930.

"We've found a river underneath the eastern area of the island. While we now have a fresh source of water, we still don't have any access to the technoworks. It looks like there's another blob of darkness covering an entrance. Irleen doesn't know what the dark blobs can be, but she doesn't think it was something the technoworks created, whether they were commanded to or not. Her best guess is that something like a parasitic plant or creature may have found its way into the technoworks. I asked her what it could be living on to make it so persistent, and she snapped at me to stop asking questions because she was running out of brains.

"Right now, it's about the time that the wind picked up and blew the ship away. The whole crew is accounted for, and the wind is still calm. I told the night shift to keep alert in case this island has anything else it wants to throw at us. I don't expect to get a lot of sleep tonight, though. There are too many questions, and all of them concerning this creepy island."

…

Water sloshing gently stirred Link out of his sleep. He raised his head from the hard surface beneath him and tried to look around through a pair of eyes filled with clouds. Grey surrounded him. As his drowsiness faded and the landscape sharpened, he realized that he was moving. He was on an ocean dyed dull under low overcast, lying on his desk.

Or, to be accurate, he lay on what _remained_ of his desk. Half of the desk was gone, and he was not even sure if there was anything _underneath_ the desktop. As he reached around the surface in an attempt to understand what was happening, he found his journal tucked under one knee. It had been waterlogged, and he found the pages sticking together as he tried to look through it. Nothing looked particularly comprehensible until about halfway through the book, on a few pages that had somehow been spared damage.

—"I have failed.

—"Despite my best efforts, I have lost my ship. The disaster came without warning. I can barely remember the details anymore. My ship—what remains of my ship has fallen from the sky just like the Island Sonata. I have lost another ship. And this time, I might not survive. I'm adrift in the ocean on what was once my desk, looking over my shoulder as the stern of my ship slowly sinks below the surface. I don't know what happened to my crew, bu—"

Link stopped and reread that last sentence about his ship slowly sinking. He then looked over his shoulder.

The stern of the _Island Symphony_ , with vents under the windows built into the transom rather than being exhaust pipes like other airships, protruded from the ocean behind him like the whole ship had tried to dive bow-first into the ocean and hit solid ground instead. The ship's propeller had broken off. The starboard hull, the side visible to him, was missing half of the timbers that Link should have been able to see. Debris littered the water between him and the ship, including one of the outboard spars ripped completely free from the hull.

Link tried to roll so he could get a better look around. The desk rolled with him and tossed him into the water. Years of swimming in lakes pushed basic survival to the forefront of Link's mind, and he surfaced so that he could cough out the lungful of water he had taken in. Once he had his ship in sight, he began kicking and stroking his arms as strong as possible. It did not matter to him that the water felt like it was becoming colder by the minute or that he chanced running into something with his frantic swimming style. It did not even matter that his ship was sinking ahead of him.

He had to stop after a few minutes and rested his arms on a section of hull floating nearby. He was still too far from the ship to make out whether any of his crew had survived or not.

So he called out, "Is anyone alive out there!? Anyone!" He had to pause to sneeze, his sinuses irritated by the water that had been in his nose. It gave him cause to listen more, but it only revealed that no one was responding. "Hey! Is anyone out there!? It's the captain; it's Link! Somebody _say_ something!" Still nothing. Link then kicked out with his legs to turn the hull planks toward the wreckage. He drove himself forward while keeping his upper body out of the water with the hull. "Anyone! C'mon, I _need_ you to holler back! Where _are_ you guys!?"

He slipped off the planks and lost sight of the ship underwater. One hand reached out to find the planks again as he tried to swim for the surface. He eventually had to hold his nose shut, his lungs burning for air. He looked through the dark water for any signs that he was going toward the surface. But the best he found was a single beam of blue light cutting through the water. The debris was gone; the entire _ship_ had disappeared. Link had no means to tell up from down. His lips blew open from his need to breathe out. This brought a big gulp of water into his mouth, and his attempt to cough it out only allowed more air in. He could not stop it.

Then Link opened his eyes, and in the next moment, he sat bolt up-right in his desk chair. He took in a deep breath and managed to save himself from hollering out. When he let the breath out, one hand grabbed the edge of the desk as if to brace himself up. His eyes found his cabin dark and empty except for him. Moonlight filtered in through the windows behind him, providing him with sight over the desk's surface and part of the floor up to the door.

He took in another deep breath and let it out in a low, slow sigh. His opposite hand raked through his hair, sweaty and matted to his scalp. He could not recall the circumstances that had brought him to fall asleep at his desk, but he judged that, since he was wearing only his lime-green bodysuit, he might have intended to lie in bed and simply forgot after finishing up whatever work he had had at his desk. Reasoning such to be the truth, he stood up. But, rather than go to bed, he stepped to the far end of the bed to locate his tunic. He swiped it up from the top of his footlocker and pulled it over his head as he moved to the door.

Upon stepping outside, he felt a little uneasy. The main deck before him was lit by the electric lights built into the inside of the bulwark. This showed him that no one was patrolling the deck. It was Lwamm, Ray, and Twali's regular duty; they had never skipped out on _anything_ before. He pushed the door shut behind him and took a few steps forward, his bare feet barely making a sound against the deck planks. His eyes narrowed in an attempt to see the helm from where he stood. Even though the ship was moored, Gold should have been standing on the forecastle to maintain lookout at the bow. Although the helmsman was not in sight, Link did not find this as concerning since Gold was well within his right to use the head while he was on-duty; it was not as if he could see something from the forecastle that he could not while sitting down on the beakhead. For a moment, Link considered hollering out for someone. The silence was eerie; even the wind had died down enough that the rigging overhead was only thing creaking.

A hand grabbed his left shoulder. Then something hit his back, and he stopped in place. A wave of dread fell over him as he glanced down.

A slender, curved blade protruded from just under his sternum.

The hand released his shoulder with a light shove, and Link fell forward. The saber pulled out before Link slammed hard onto the deck. His vision swirled, showing him the grains in the pale deck planks beneath him writhing in the light. He could not comprehend what had happened. Nothing was clear until someone flipped him onto his back with their foot.

A shadow of a creature stood above him. The deck lights only offered a vague image of tight waistcoat over a lithe, scaly frame. One arm sported a full sleeve of armor; the opposite hand held a saber glistening with crimson casually hovering in front of Link's face.

"I _told_ you we'd be back." The voice was cold, deep.

Then it stepped aside. Link's eyes widened as he realized what had happened to his crew, why the rigging was the only thing making noise. He felt a scream begin in his gut, one of anguish and terror.

He screamed with a high, primal pitch as his hands clawed the air above. Then, when his hands fell against the bed, he quickly bolted up-right. His bed. A bedsheet covered him while the quilt had been kicked to the far end.

His stomach knotted itself, and he fell toward the side of the bed so that he could vomit onto the floor. The sounds he made further nauseated him, but at least his stomach had settled.

Almost immediately, the dream of his crew's fate returned to the forefront of his thoughts, and he scrambled out of bed. In his rush, though, his bare foot found his pile of vomit, and he let out a surprised holler before falling forward onto the deck, ramming his right shoulder into the side of his desk in the process. He writhed in silence for about a second before using the desk to pull himself up. Guided by the moonlight streaming through the window, he stumbled to his cabin door and wrenched it open.

His steps were heavy as he half-walked, half-jogged out of his cabin and into the open air of the main deck. His heart made its presence known as his eyes gave the deck a once-over. No one was on patrol; he could not even see Gold, who should have been wandering around the forecastle. He spun around to see if anyone stood behind him. Then he screwed his eyes shut and aimed his face up. He did not want to look. He did not want to _know_ if his crew was up there. The dream played back the discovery of his crew in his mind. The images felt so strong that Link thought he had actually opened his eyes to the sight he did not want to see. He could not do it.

"Link?"

"Yah-hah!" Link hollered in fright, jumping not only at the voice from behind but the hand that had grabbed his left shoulder. He spun.

"Easy, easy!" Leynne told him as he backed one step away. "It's just me."

"Oh, _Goddesses_ Above," Link uttered as he pressed his hands to his sweat-drenched face. His voice came out with a heavy breath of relief, "Leynne!"

"Ah you all right?" Leynne asked.

Link was about to answer. But once he had his thoughts straightened, he dared a sidelong glance into the air above. "Yeah," he told Leynne as he slid both hands around the back of his neck. "No, I just… It was… It was just another nightmare."

"What about?" Leynne asked, eyes darting to the rigging over their heads.

Link shook his head. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."

"You'h suh?" Leynne asked with a skeptical look. "It sounds serious; I thought I might've heahd screaming."

"It's _my_ nightmare; I'll deal with it," Link told him, his voice maintaining a soft edge of understanding while his expression gave a subtle thanks to Leynne for worrying about him. He spotted a toolbox in one of Leynne's hands and asked, "You're not doing any work _tonight_ , are you?"

"Huh?" Leynne asked as he followed Link's gaze. "Oh, no, no! No, I was just gathering a few things to go ashoh. You mentioned that this fellow, Maroon, owned the machine shop we discovehed. I wanted to take a few components in to see if we could wohk them on his equipment."

Link glanced around at the dark sky. "It must be around _midnight_ , Leynne."

"Well, I'd also hoped to speak with Maroon befoh using his equipment. A bit of a couhtesy, if you will."

"Oh." Link then had an idea and asked, "Mind if I join you?"

"Ah you suh? You might be betteh off trying to sleep some moh…"

Link shook his head. "I'm too jumpy right now; I don't think I can get back to sleep again."

Leynne glanced Link up and down. Then he tilted his head as he looked down at Link's knees. "What have you gotten on youh undehsuit?"

Link looked down at himself. "Oh. Uh… I-I need to clean up before I go ashore."

Leynne sighed. "I don't know that I can wait up, Link; I've much to do befoh I can get these pahts replaced. Misteh Gold is already waiting."

Link nodded his understanding. "Okay, you two go on ahead. I'll be along as soon as I can."

"Will do," Leynne said with a nod before turning around. Link watched as he walked away and then turned around after he hollered for Gold.

Link stepped back into the cabin and checked to see if Irleen was in bed. No sign of her glow generally meant that she had decided to sleep in the berthing deck with the rest of Link's female crew. This allowed him to switch on the light to the cabin and change into a clean bodysuit. He could feel a bit of lethargy from having woken up so violently, so he pulled his tunic on over his head and ventured back out onto the deck. Just to calm his mind, he turned and looked up at the poop deck when he was about halfway across the main deck. Airman Hunter, a man composed of equal levels of muscle and fat and probably hairier than the rest of the men on the crew with a full beard grown down as far as his chest, stood at the top of the stairs on the starboard side, a wary eye cast to the shore.

"Dhayba 'axiltin, May Kyabtin," Link heard as he turned around to continue across the deck. He glanced to port as one of his Gelto crew walked by, a hand waving at him.

Link nodded and replied, "Dayba 'axiltin, Ray." Her response was a wider grin as she continued aft.

Link reached the port stairs and descended into the ship. The lighting in the lower decks was dim due to more light bulbs blowing out than the ship's stores had for replacements. The rear end of the cargo hold was shrouded in darkness because of the empty supply crates stacked up in the back. The berth deck at the front only had one light on to show the crew where the doorway into the hold was.

Link continued down into the galley. There were only two lights on this deck that were on: a hanging lamp hovering between the long tables, its metal-framed shade dented from the taller members of the crew smacking their heads into it, and the ceiling light off to one side of the kitchen area so that both the kitchen and the portside closet could be seen. Link was a little surprised to see Cale, Botu, and Lilly gathered at the far end of one table, almost hidden from Link's view by the lamp's illumination. He ventured closer to the group, noticing that each one of them held a cup in one hand. Cale and Lilly sat on either side of the table while Botu stood over them.

So when Link stepped under the lamp, Botu was the first to notice. He looked up from the table and adjusted his stance as he spoke up in a tone of mild surprise, "Captain."

"Is everything okay down here?" Link asked as Cale and Lilly looked up.

"Bit of insomnia, sir," Botu explained. He glanced down at his cup. "Thought I'd sneak in a couple drams of grog."

"Make sure you take it easy with your ration," Link warned him. "We might not be able to replace it."

"Aye, sir," Botu replied. "I've been saving up; I don't like drinking unless I'm trying to get to sleep."

"You guys having trouble sleeping, too?" Link then asked Cale and Lilly.

"Bad dream," Cale replied.

"Botha us," Lilly added.

Link nodded. "Seems to be the trend." He pointed toward the closet. "Do you still have that can of sawdust down here?"

Lilly nodded and replied, "Yeah." Link slipped past Cale and Botu and headed toward the closet.

"Captain," Botu spoke up. "How long you figure we'll be here?"

"No longer than we have to," Link answered as he opened the door. He continued to talk as he searched the shelves, "I'm like you; this place gives me the creeps. But we have repairs to make, and we need to find something to refill our stores. Otherwise, that's a whole month without food."

Botu smacked his gut. "I could stand to lose some weight. Might have to tie down Chief _Twig_ here, though."

Lilly let out a weak giggle, and Cale turned to her with his mouth open. But once he had a moment to think about it, he sighed and said, "Yes, it actually _is_ kind of amusing."

Then Lilly's tone changed as she said, "Oh. Dholit, Biluf. And Layna. You're up, too?"

Link, having found the can, turned around as Dholit and Biluf stepped into the dull light. Layna, a few paces behind them, looked to be more exhausted than the other two. Link closed the door and stepped into the nearby lamp so they could see him. "Not you guys, too," he told them.

"It appeahs to be a rathah infectious epidemic," Dholit said as she sat down at the end of the other table. "I feel as if I have lost reason to sleep myself. Biluf had a nightmah. And… well, Layna has not really seen fit to tell us heh problems."

"Can I get ya girls something?" Lilly asked as she stood.

"I think each of us is willing to put up with the loss of a liquid ration," Dholit replied.

"I'll get it," Botu told Lilly, holding up a hand to stop her. He set down his cup and turned to step into the kitchen. "They can have it on me, Captain," he hollered as he looked through the dark cabinets. "I'm not using them."

"That's very generous of you, Aihman Botu," Dholit called to him. "Thank you."

"You feel this might be a problem, Captain?" Lilly asked as she sat back down, her eyes following Link back to the head of their table.

"No doubt," Link replied, placing the can on the edge of the table. "It isn't often a whole shift goes without sleep. I suppose we should be glad the _entire_ day shift isn't down here."

"I mean the _island_ ," Lilly said. "Do you feel the _island_ is causing this?"

Link made a face as he gave the thought a brief moment of consideration. "I don't think so," he said. "Sure, it's creepy, and things don't really get better at night. But it's _just_ an island. Other than that weird windstorm, there doesn't seem to be anything here to harm us."

"Kyabtin." The word was sharp, poignant. Attention turned to Layna. "Rujun."

"Rujun," Link repeated as if he was trying to understand the word.

"What does that mean?" Botu asked as he stepped forward to make his return to the conversation known.

"Eyes," Dholit told him.

Link felt his stomach squirm. He had to ask, "When?"

"'Ak dhayba 'a'ithxwin," she answered in a quiet voice. "Taf nwik dhayba. Idha."

"Last night," Link translated just as Dholit prepared to speak. "And tonight. Right now." He had to suppress a shiver. Although Layna still refused to disclose the extent of her skills as a Gelto assassin, there were a few things that they were aware of. One of those was her amazing ability to tell when someone was looking at her. Her reactions were sharp because, one way or another, she was able to tell when something had her in its sights. Even if they were not on her, she could still sense when a pair of eyes were about to catch her, and that made her much harder to find. Layna could be very vague whenever she mentioned feeling eyes on her. However, this time, she seemed to tell them exactly what they needed to know.

She did not know _whose_ eyes were following her.

"Now?" Botu asked as he handed Layna a cup of grog. He looked over at Dholit. "I don't get it."

"It means we need to leave here as soon as we get what we need," Link answered just as Dholit was about to talk. She shot him a confused glance. "Try to get some sleep; we're gonna be in trouble if we can't get the crew back on schedule. Layna, I'm going to be going ashore. Do you think you can come along, or do you want to get some sleep?"

Layna looked down at her untouched grog. Then she set it on the bench next to her and stood straight. "'Inu nayx misifoynak, May Kyabtin," she answered, forcing herself to look more awake.

"Meet me on the deck in ten minutes," he told her. He picked up the can of sawdust and started around the table. "Don't let this rattle you; it could easily be nothing," he hollered over his shoulder.

Even though he tried to dismiss it, the fact that Layna's senses were alerting on something twisted Link's guts. If anyone else was in that galley, Layna would have attacked. If anyone else was watching the ship, Layna would know about them. It made her perfect to take along; if she felt that there was a place to hide, she would find it right away. As for the source… Link had a wicked notion that Layna would never find it, not as they were now. He did not want his crew to come to the same conclusion. But he was worried that Layna had already put the idea in their heads.

He returned to his cabin to find Irleen in her bed. As he cleaned up the vomit, she explained that she had had a hard time getting sleep due to people in the berth deck walking around and making noise. He told her about going back to Maroon's shop. Her first response was to warn him about getting some more sleep, but after he mentioned that he had had another nightmare, she agreed not to nag him about it if only to let him tire himself out. He would be fine with that.

Link changed and put on his gear. He met Layna on-deck a few minutes later. His first action was to glance out across the island. Between the _Island Symphony_ and the screaming buildings in the middle of the island, the entire plain of stone slabs looked like a massive hole in the sky. The fact that the silvery half-moon above was not enough to illuminate the way made him consider the comparison more literally. Link had Ray bring up a lantern; he had a bad feeling about walking through pitch-black tonight.

Although the walk across the field of black was uneventful, Link could feel every fiber in his body become tenser with each step. No one spoke. With Layna, that was a given, especially since she had stayed in "Kill Mode" ever since disembarking. Link figured that Irleen was under the same pressure as him: sleep-deprived and aware that there was something wrong with this place. He did not tell her about Layna's senses warning her that she was being watched. He wanted to save that news for sunrise, when he could tell both Leynne and his crew chiefs. They could pass the word to the crew faster.

The first scream Link heard after setting foot back in the haunted light of what he now knew to be a Hylian settlement sent a shiver up his spine. Knowing that these people had been Hylians at one point made him wonder if what had happened to them could happen to his crew as well. His first instinct told him that it would not. If what Irleen had told him about her observations were any clue, then his crew of lively lunatics (which he thought with affection) should have been safe. There was nothing here openly harming these people, and as long as it remained that way, perhaps what Layna was sensing were the lingering remains of a long-vanished threat.

He also considered the idea that this threat was just waiting under the surface to catch his crew once its guard was off. He immediately chastised himself for having such a dark thought.

Link, Irleen, and Layna arrived at the shop to find that the door was still open. Link froze just inside the doorway when he spotted the shop's occupants. They stood a stone's throw away directly in front of the door, which was on the outside of the rows of shelves. Leynne stood with his back to the door while Gold was squat in front of him, examining something on the ground.

Link's stomach turned when he saw that the item on the floor was Maroon's cloak.

"Leynne?" Irleen spoke up with a tinge of panic in her voice.

Gold looked up in surprise. "Cap'n."

Leynne spun around with his arms behind his back. "Captain," he said, his expression also indicating that Link had caught them off-guard.

"What's happened here?" Link asked as he moved to look at the cloak.

Gold stood and held up his hands in innocence. "Cap'n, look. It was like this when we got 'ere."

Irleen flew forward and hovered on the ground near the cloak. "He's been unresponsive the whole time," Leynne told her as he set something on the shelf next to him. "We feahed the wohst."

"It's the worst all right," Irleen said with a heavy sigh. "He's completely gone."

"'E's _dead_?!" Gold asked. Leynne put a finger to his lips to signal Gold to keep it down.

"Yeah," Irleen said, her tone grim. "He is _now_." Link and Layna stepped to one side so that they could see the cloak completely.

Layna, however, glanced up at Leynne. Leynne caught sight of an intense glare instead of her usual lack of emotion.

"Any idea what happened?" Link asked, his voice sounding empty.

"No, sir," Gold answered.

"I'm afraid not, Captain," Leynne said. "We haven't been heh foh long. We… wehn't suh if this was the individual you had mentioned, eitheh."

Link covered his face with a hand. "Goddesses Above…"

"Misteh Gold, would you and Layna check the upstaihs?" Leynne said. "Let's make suh theh isn't anyone else heh who might have some objection to this intrusion."

"After yeh, Layna," Gold said as he indicated the stairs in the back.

"Go with him," Link told Layna when he did not hear her move. Layna's response was a glance in Leynne's direction again before following Gold toward the back of the floor.

Leynne and Irleen then watched Link move to the bare wall opposite the nearby shelf and place his back against it. Irleen then hustled over when Link sank to the floor. "Link!" she cried out.

"What is _wrong_ with this place?" Link asked before he placed both hands over his face.

"Link," Irleen said in an even voice. "I've told you before; these people are barely alive as it is. And _very_ fragile."

Leynne placed his hands behind his back. "Yes, I remembeh the convehsation this mohning. So it would be easy to conclude that this soht of fate would be only a matteh of time?"

"For every one of those things outside," Irleen answered.

"But Maroon was _talking_ to us," Link spoke up, his voice weak with the need to start crying. "Didn't that—Didn't that mean he still had some _time_?"

Irleen sighed. "I don't know, Link."

They spent a moment in silence, a moment in which Link felt the need to grieve for Maroon. Instead, Leynne cleared his throat. "Captain, if I may," he said. "As this has deeply troubled you, and considering youh moments of fright eahlieh, pehhaps you would be betteh off retuhning to the ship."

"I… I-I don't…" Link tried to say.

"Theh's nothing moh to be done heh," Leynne pointed out. "You would be betteh off retuhning and trying to get some sleep."

"I don't know if I _can_."

"You _must_ try. A hysterical captain won't do us much good, especially if you'h going to be up all night."

Link heaved a sigh and nodded. "All right."

"I'll send Layna back down," Leynne told him. He turned and rounded the shelves to walk toward the stairs in the back.

Once he was out of sight, Leynne began to untie the noose he had been hiding behind his back.


	16. Guide Out of the Ivory

Chapter 16: Guide Out of the Ivory

…

The walk back to the ship felt like it had taken twice as long as the walk into the settlement. Link caused this by dragging his feet, his thoughts still dwelling on events back at Maroon's shop. Irleen was in the same mood as she hovered along by Link's shoulder. Her light even seemed weaker as they passed over the invisible plain between the settlement and the _Island Symphony_. Layna only kept her pace slow for Link, her face a concerned look aimed at his back for most of the walk.

Link's primary problem was the pang of dread he was feeling. He had thought that no one could come to harm so long as he was careful. Even if Irleen said that their brand of life was too weak, it still hurt that they had met someone and lost him in the same day. It dragged up memories of those lost when Cunimincus made his move on Hyrule. Worse still, he remembered the dream he had had last night, the dream in which those same souls had accused him of being responsible for their deaths. Try as he might, he could not come to terms with everyone. He lost one of his own airmen to Cunimincus, and he had nearly lost his best friend. The same dreadful thoughts kept popping into his head. What if it was happening again? What if his crew really was in danger?

What if he could not stop it this time?

Once he was aboard the _Island Symphony_ , he dismissed Layna with a tired word. Irleen continued to follow him into his cabin. Once inside, Link turned on the light and looked around. There was still a stain on the floor where he had thrown up, and his bed looked like it had been tossed about. Irleen, without a further word, settled into her own bed. Link simply kicked off his boots, took all of his belts off to drop them on his footlocker, turned the light back off, and collapsed on the cool, sweaty bed. His fatigue fought with his paranoia over what he should be doing now. He feared another nightmare, but he did not want to be awake all night and look like a complete mess in the morning. He took off his hat to place it between his face and a pillow. His feelings conflicted for a little longer, but his fatigue conquered. Just a matter of minutes later, he fell asleep.

When he woke up, it was because of the sunlight above him. His bed felt like it had turned to grass. He had to open his eyes to find out what had happened to his cabin.

As he stood, he found that his cabin was simply gone. The grass beneath him had been pressed into the ground, as if he had fallen onto it. Surrounding him was a large, open field. He had about a five-pace diameter of simple grass to himself.

The rest was a field of flowers. And not just any flowers. Link found himself gazing across a whole field, reaching beyond his vision, made of folded paper flowers.

He stepped to the edge of his lonely patch of grass and tore a blue flower free of its thick, rolled stem. His fingers carefully probed the folds of the petals and popped loose the silver button serving as the flower's center. He unfolded the flower gently, trying to follow the creases so as not to tear it. What he got was a square sheet of blue paper which he marveled at for a moment, awestruck by how such a simple thing could appear so elegant with just the right folding.

His eyes wandered the field again in search of an answer. He could already feel that things were different with this dream. For one thing, he was _certain_ it was a dream. These kinds of dreams had played with his perception before. He knew by the way he was thinking that this could only be a dream, that he was not really standing in a field of flowers. He was back on the _Island Symphony_ , sound asleep. That being his conclusion, he feared that this would become another nightmare. He would have to wait for some kind of surprise to pop out of the flowers to scare him back into consciousness.

But then, that would skip over his second piece of evidence that he was sleeping. She sat on the ground among the flowers to his left, where his peripheral vision just barely noticed. So Link turned to face her.

Princess Zelda rose, revealing herself to be wearing a white airman's tunic with a belt held closed with a triangular buckle pointing up. Her long, blond hair had been woven into a braid that she left draped over her right shoulder. When she opened her blue eyes, they stood out brighter than ever with the midday sky at her back. Her hands were gloved, although… there was something about them that he could not quite figure out. He watched her carefully step through the flowers around her, the legs of her white slacks gently pushing them aside. She was barefoot, and this made Link wonder to what extent Zelda chose her current outfit.

This was nothing new to Link, although Zelda had changed her appearance compared to that single day he had spoken to her before the _Island Symphony_ left the realm. Two years ago, she had obtained one of Irleen's magical stones. This one, originally given to a Sorian captain, contained an "imprint" of Link's mind. It was supposed to have been used so that the captain could deal with Link's Hylian crew, but circumstances had forced him to pass it on to Zelda. Zelda had a kind of magic of her own, a magic described as "making miracles". At first, Link exchanged dreams with her, her nightmares of being captured and imprisoned on the _Smiling Gunner_ for his experiences on the surface. Then she had learned how to control the power and would affect Link's dreams so that she could converse with him. The experience had been disorienting and tiring, but it had also been the only thing keeping both of them from losing their minds. Well, they _hoped_ they had not lost their minds. Zelda had perfected the magic until she was able to interact with him outside a dream, but the one thing she had always done best was replace his dreams with something she had invented so that they had been able to talk. Up until a few months ago, she had even switched out their dreams, if only to embarrass him on occasion. It had ended when she had spied on a dream that Link could not remember but had clearly left her hating his company for a whole month.

Link breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, I'm glad you decided to take me away from my dreams," he told her.

"You've had nightmares." Her voice was confident; there was no question in the tone. She kept her face unreadable, and this quickly raised warnings in the back of Link's mind.

He took in a deep breath and told her, "Yeah."

"Dark," she said, stopping at the edge of his clearing. "Violent."

Link nodded. "I've had… I've had a lot on my mind lately. This place… somehow, the creepiness just _gets_ to you."

"You found the island?"

Link nodded again. "And the library. We're still exploring; we've only been here for two days."

"Two days…" the princess repeated. She cast her attention to one side as if she was trying to process the thought. Link tried to do the same with his own concerns. He felt something very… wrong? Dire? Whatever the matter, it was clear that he should be worried.

"Link, something is wrong with your dreams," she finally told him.

Link blinked for a moment, entirely dumbfounded by the statement. He glanced around. Then he said, "I don't think this is mine."

Zelda shook her head. "No, Link. I cannot have you doubt me now. You are in danger. You should leave."

Link put on a confused frown. "Leave? Leave what? This dream?" Zelda shook her head. "Leave… leave the _island_?" Zelda nodded. But Link shook his head. "We _can't_. We don't have the—"

"Link," she interrupted him. She took another stride forward. "Please take me seriously."

"I-I _am_ ," Link replied.

She offered her hands out to him. He was hesitant at first, but he took them into his own hands while thinking that it might not be as appropriate as it seemed. His hands touched something sticky, and he looked down.

Her hands were covered in bandages. Flesh that had not been covered by the many small bandages had been cut. Link thought they looked like a cucco had scratched them up.

"Holy shit!" Link said as he turned over one of her hands to examine the palm. Her palm had been wrapped with a larger piece of gauze. "What happened to your hands? Is this—is this _real_?"

"Yes, Link," she replied. "Throughout the day, I had been folding flowers until they were all that I could dream. I _had_ to focus on something else. I _had_ to contact you."

Link looked up and found her leaning close enough that her brilliant, sky-blue eyes made his heart soar with childish anxiety. Once he was beyond his original reaction, he could see that her emotionless mask had dropped. What replaced it caused his heart to beat in his ears like it was trying to escape his head. The concern, the sympathy, the panic… she had let all of these feelings show so strong that more warning flags rose in Link's mind.

"I had to find you again," she told him. "To warn you."

Link swallowed a lump in the back of his throat. "Of what?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

She leaned just a little closer. For a moment, Link thought that their lips would touch.

"Your nightmares are watching you."

He wished she had not whispered it; it only made the situation that much creepier. A shiver ran up his spine. He wanted to laugh it off, wanted to tell her that it was absurd. But he knew better.

Wind kicked up out of nowhere, surprising both of them. They stepped apart so they could cover their faces as dirt blinded them. The flowers around them tore from their stems. Link heard Zelda cry out and dared to look at her.

A dark shadow had taken her from behind. It held her by her hair, forcing her to yield to the shadow or else have her scalp ripped clean. Link recognized the shadow, especially when it stepped from behind her. It was not the princess. As mundane an observation that was, Link truthfully almost saw the princess in that shadow. But once she turned Zelda to gain better control of her, the shadow turned back to Link to show that its face was shattered. A large chunk of glass was missing from its forehead above its left eye. Cracks covered its face, including bisecting its left eye and cheek all the way to its jawline. Slivers of its lips, nose, and right eye had also disappeared. Its left thigh and its right forearm were among places where the surface of its body sported white, spider web-like cracks under the surface. Its left hand was missing the thumb. As it pulled Zelda away from him, it gave him a cold glare.

" _ **SHE'S MINE, BOY!**_ " the shadow said with the high-pitched voice of a little girl speaking through a mouth full of broken glass.

Link was only taken aback for just the few second he needed to recognize the shadow. He proceeded to shout, "I'm not scared of _you_!"

Then he cried out when something struck his right cheek. It had been small, but it had felt like a rock. He put his hand on his cheek. When he felt warmth, so he glanced at the hand. Blood, a smear across his fingers. He looked to his right into the wind.

The shadow gave a shrill laugh as Link was suddenly pelted with Zelda's flowers. He raised a hand to protect his face from what felt like more rocks. One of the flowers caught in his elbow, and he used his other hand to grab it. He flinched when his hand closed around the petals, and he dropped it to where the wind was pushing it against his chest. It afforded him the opportunity to see that it was still one of Zelda's flowers.

But it was made of glass.

A stronger gust coupled with even more glass knocked Link to the ground. He landed on his side, but he rolled onto his stomach as yet more glass began to pelt and shred him. His back was exposed to the biting wind and flayed so bad that he caught himself screaming and dug his chin into the ground. His arms were torn as he kept his head covered.

Just when he thought it would not end, he could feel the glass lift away with the wind. He was cautious as he looked up; the last time he had fought with this "shadow", she had not been without her own form of cruelty, especially when she had looked like now.

Instead, he looked up to see that the shadow was holding a hand over Zelda's mouth while Zelda struggled against her. One of Zelda's wrists slipped her grasp, and she pulled the shadow's hand away. "Link!" she hollered as the two of them rose into the air with no reason. "It's in the tower! What you need is in the tower!"

"What tower!?" Link shouted back.

" _ **ENOUGH!**_ " the shadow screamed. Link watched as she summoned a handful of flowers to her hand. Zelda immediately tried to pull the hand away as the glass formed into a long dagger. The struggle, though, resulted in Zelda's hand slipping from the shadow's wrist. The shadow plunged the dagger into Zelda's chest, and Zelda froze with a wide-eyed look on her face.

Link felt his whole body grow cold. He wanted to call out to her, to do something to make sure what he had not seen was not real. He had completely forgotten that it was a dream and that Zelda should be all right.

He was reminded when he started to run toward her and bashed his knee into the bulkhead behind his bed.

The sound caused Irleen to holler in surprise while Link released a pained shout. Irleen rose from her bed and cried out, "Link, what's wrong!?"

Link let out a groan and rolled over as he held his knee. "I hit my knee," he moaned.

Irleen heaved a sigh. "Link, we _really_ need to nail pillows to the bulkheads," she told him. "And maybe the deck. These dreams are getting intense."

Link blinked as he recalled events from the dream. It seemed to push aside the pain in his knee. "No," he said as he slowly sat up. "No, it wasn't a dream. _Zelda_ was trying to warn me."

"Zelda? I thought she wasn't talking to you anymore." Then Irleen, as she rose, shivered side to side, creating a bell-like ring. "Wait a minute. _Warn_ you? About _what_?"

Link paused as he raked a hand through his hair. Then he slid the hand down over his eyes and gave a frustrated sigh. "I-I'm trying to think," he told Irleen. "She said… she said… that my nightmares were _watching_ me."

Irleen allowed a moment's pause. Then she said, "Well _that's_ perfectly cryptic."

"I don't think she had a lot of time," Link said. "I don't know how, but… even though she was controlling the dream? It turned into a nightmare."

Irleen fell silent again, a little longer this time. "Did she say anything else?"

Link blew out another sigh. "I'm trying to remember. I know she wanted us to _leave_ right away."

"Do we have the supplies to get back?"

Link shook his head. "We only just found water. We need food."

"Did she say anything _else_?"

"Ugh… Something about a _tower_ , I think."

"A tower? What tower?"

Link placed both hands behind his neck and let his arms hang powerless for a moment. "She didn't get that far. She said… she said, 'It's in the tower. What you want is in the tower'. Or something like that."

"Link, I was in _plays_ that were less vague. My _parents_ were in plays less vague." Irleen paused to think about her statement. "I don't think I ever understood how their characters _followed_ what they were being told. They seemed to run on a weird kind of logic, really. I mean, if you know the princess has been kidnapped, why would the little mushroom-headed guy know where the princess was taken, and how does the hero know where the bad guy lives?"

Link let his arms drop and looked up at her. "What are you _talking_ about?"

"Convoluted plots."

Link rubbed his fingers in his eyes. "Okay, well, the only towers I know about are all on the surface. We can't build towers here in the sky."

"Hang on a minute, Link. I think you're missing something. There _is_ a tower in the sky."

"What tower?" Link asked, confused.

"Are you _serious_? Link, just _what_ do you call that large building in the middle of the island?"

"What, the…" Link began to ask as he pointed at the far bulkhead and the island beyond it. Then it struck him that she was right. He felt stupid for a moment until he asked what seemed to be an obvious question. "How would Zelda even _know_ about that tower?"

Irleen hovered in a small ring in the air as if she was imitating an eye roll. "C'mon, Link, she's a princess who talks to you in your _dreams_. Are you really gonna question what she has to say?"

Link heaved a sigh. "I guess not, but I've got a bad feeling about this."

"That's just part of the territory we're in," Irleen told him as she settled back in her bed.

"Okay," Link said with a relenting tone. "I'll take a look in the morning."

"Link. Look out the window."

Link glanced at the frosted-glass windows at the back of his cabin. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as he saw that a few broken rays of sunlight had already found their way inside.

…

Link did not jump right into work. Instead, he managed a short nap to help stave off his fatigue before gearing up. He left with Irleen still taking a nap under his cap, her own fatigue catching up with her. After a word with Lilly and Stan, the nightshift cook, down in the galley about cutting back on using their supplies, he dug out one of the two-year-old crates of rations. As he breakfasted on one, the bland, preserved taste meant to last for the next ten years reminded him of days spent sleeping in a mining barracks, running from his fellow Skyriders, and surviving the maw of a demonic bird. It seemed to him that those months were much easier than the past two nights. But then, he told himself that it was only his drowsiness talking. Once he had the ration down, he found that he was a little less sleepy. He hoped that he would be a little more ready for whatever the day had for him.

When he came back onto the main deck, he found that some of the dayshift had already showed up for duty, at least half of them in varying states of drowsiness. At the same time, Leynne and Gold returned. Link gave Leynne a few instructions regarding the day crew before recruiting Line and Gillam to accompany him. Once Link had made the selection, he became aware that Layna had disappeared from sight and told her out loud to remain behind. The answer was Layna returning to Dholit's side, surprising Dholit in a manner everyone was familiar with. He also told Leynne that he wanted to see the command staff (and Airman Lawrence, who had been more receptive of meetings than his direct superior, Chief Sello) to address the crew's thoughts from last night. Personally, he refused to believe that the island was causing the crew to have bad dreams and insomnia. However, he had to admit that Layna's report of being watched still bothered him.

Silence filled the walk to the settlement, the only sound heard being shuffling clothes and Line's new pair of boots clapping against the stone expanse. Although Line and Gillam had not reported it, Link suspected that they might not have slept well, either. Link was still feeling better, but the walk seemed to drain his motivation. It turned the walk into a lengthy boredom that he hoped would end soon.

Once they set foot in the settlement, Link set his sights on the tower in the middle of the island. He was grateful that Zelda had directed him to _this_ building rather than any of the other buildings around the settlement. Being back in the settlement yet again caused Link's stomach to turn. Maroon's death quickly surfaced to his mind. Of all the death he had encountered, none had shaken him so bad as how quickly Maroon had been lost. He remembered how he had lost Airman Albert, one of the crew lent to him by Captain Alfonzo. Albert had been onboard the _Horizon's Eye_ when Cunimincus had attacked it. From what Line had reported, Albert had been among those lost just before Cunimincus' crew had boarded the Sorian airship. Link had only known the man for a single day, just as Maroon. He had thought that he had come to terms with Albert's loss, but it felt to him that the regrets just came back stronger than ever. He had to force the feeling aside, recalling an old Gelto proverb Dholit had quoted to him those couple of years ago.

"Wish the thoughts of monsters to flee, for it is the monsters within our sight which threaten us the most". It amazed him how relevant Dholit's words could be after two years. On any other day, she had never seemed as profound.

Going beyond Maroon's shop revealed streets built over rougher terrain, forcing the Hylian settlers to lay down steps in groups of eight to ten. Yet again, the streets had narrowed due to the wider structures that no longer looked to have been grouped into blocks. Roads were forced to bend around circular buildings, forcing the bricklayers to break their stock in various places. Even then, this area looked more the nightmare than the rest of the settlement. Some of the bricks in the road had not been seated right, causing them to protrude enough to catch an idle wanderer's foot should attention not be paid. The cloth over various doors and windows had been torn, some even shredded to ribbons to reveal the interior. Holes had been worn into some of the outer walls. Only half of these had been patched with metal plates haphazardly nailed to the exteriors. The broken remains of crates, wagons, and a few wooden items neither Link nor his airmen could identify littered some of the streets, often enough that a pile higher than Gillam would force them to take another route.

"I gotta say," Line said at one point. "I think I'd feel better if the rest of the island looked like this."

"Yeah," Gillam agreed. "At least _then_ you could be comfortable simply _leaving_."

" _Just_ the sentiment I was going for."

Link could agree with the thoughts as well. This area of the settlement looked like it had been built and then abandoned. With Irleen still napping under his hat for most of the trip, there was no way to tell if someone actually _did_ live here. Not that Link was interested in finding anyone in the first place; what lived in this area could not be friendly.

By the late morning, Link, Line, and Gillam stood at the base of the great tower in the center of the island. Standing this close, they could see that the tower had been made with large, curved slabs of stone. The exterior was a sort of outer layer of arches and high ceilings like a portico wrapped around the tower. Another tower, cylindrical and made of the same material, had been built on the inside with strictly vertical walls. From the outside, they could see that the exterior structure only extended up half the height of the tower to give it its taper; the rest looked to be the vertical walls of the interior tower.

Gillam let out a long whistle. "Big building," he commented.

"How many stories do you think it is?" Line asked.

"Are you kidding? I don't think I can _count_ that high."

Line glanced back at the path they had taken. Then he looked at the tower again. "I don't think I like this."

Link looked up at his brow and asked, "What do you think, Irleen?"

Irleen emerged from his hat and took a few moments to examine the building, fluttering about above Link's head to change angle a few times. When she came back to eye-level with Link, she commented, "Well, it's a tower."

Link pointed as he asked, "Anything in it?"

" _Looks_ quiet enough. Not that it means anything here."

"Quiet," Gillam repeated. "As is 'no one lives here'."

"Anyone that lives here is probably asleep," Link said over his shoulder.

"Yeah, _that_ makes it better…" Line uttered. Link pulled his flare gun and checked the breech. Then he pulled a smoke shell to load it. "What're you loading?" Line asked over Link's shoulder.

"Red."

"Good."

"Good?" Gillam asked just as Link clapped the gun shut. "What's the red one for?"

"It means we're _definitely_ in trouble," Line said.

Gillam rubbed his brow. "Great Goddesses, what'd I sign on for…?"

"Look, we _still_ haven't had any serious problems since landing here," Link said over his shoulder. "I'm not denying that there's something _wrong_ with this place, but we've at least seen that we're safe in daylight." He raised a hand to beckon them to follow.

They had barely taken a few steps under the portico when Gillam said, "Captain, hang on."

Line and Irleen stopped to turn toward him. Link was a second slower than them. "What is it?" he asked.

Gillam approached one of the narrow structures at the base between the arch they had just stepped through and the one to their right. He leaned over to look at the very bottom stone. "I think this is an addition," he told them.

"Huh?" Link and Irleen asked at the same time.

Line gave an indifferent response of, "So?"

"This," he said, pointing at the ceiling above them. "This is all… this is _recent_."

"I repeat," Line said. "So?"

"Shut up, Line," Irleen said.

"How do you know?" Link asked, looking up at the ceiling.

"I used to be a building inspector for five years," Gillam explained. "After the Royal Knights rejected me, I became an airman." He pointed out the separation between stone blocks in the support. "This is pitch. It's not as common back in Hyrule anymore because of _cement_ mortars, but a lot of old buildings still have this kind of mortar. See how it's black?"

"So?" Line asked.

"'So'?" Gillam repeated with incredulousness. "It means that, if these people _are_ Hylians, then they've—"

"They've been here for _decades_ before us," Link finished. Gillam gave Link a confused look. So Link explained, "I think that the people here came in an airship meant to travel long distances. They would've been sailing for _years_ before finding this island."

Gillam nodded and said, "Okay. Okay, if that's the case, then who built _that_?" He pointed at the wall behind them.

All three glanced around at the wall. Then Irleen said, "Hylians probably weren't the _only_ ones to land here. Although I can't think of who else was here."

"Again—" Line began.

"If you say 'So?' one more time, I'm gonna fly down your throat and kick a hole in your voice box," Irleen immediately told him. Line clapped his jaw shut.

"You can tell the difference?" Link asked.

"Building inspector," Gillam reminded him. "I noticed it when you opened your gun; the barrel reflected on the wall. The mortar's… something _else_. It _shimmered_ when that light hit it."

Link glanced back at the inner tower. "Do you think it's safe?"

"I think we'd be better off if someone _else_ walked in front," Gillam said. He placed a hand on his chest. "May I, sir?"

Link nodded and said, "Sure."

"Line, it's been a nightmare working with—"

Line stomped a foot. "Oh, shut up and go die!" he hollered.

Gillam smiled and started walking past Link and Line. "Boy, you don't take jokes too well, do you?"

Link heaved a sigh and followed Gillam into the inner tower with Line and Irleen trailing behind. But the moment Gillam stepped through the doorway, he froze. The hairs on the back of Link's neck stood, and he quickly pushed his way in with his left hand prepared to draw his sword.

And then Link stopped in his tracks. The interior was a large entryway with the next room divided from it by a low archway. Without illumination, the only indication of the other room was whatever light could reach in through the doorways beyond and even behind them. This entryway was narrow from the interior support columns on either side of the door holding up the ceiling. In the dimness provided by the doorway behind them, Link could see that someone had tried to put plaster on the walls. But now, it looked as if the plaster was falling apart, leaving bare stone blocks of the surrounding walls and ceiling open to what few elements existed in the sky.

Perhaps its most surprising feature was the heat. The air felt warm and muggy, a kind of environment that made Link feel uncomfortable from head to toe. The difference between the outside and inside was staggering, and Link turned around as if to find the reason for such a change.

Line stopped short of the doorway. "What?" he asked. "What is it?"

"Come in here," Link said, backing a step so that Line could enter. Gillam also moved aside.

Line set foot inside, and he put on a disgusted face. "Whugh," he uttered. "I've been in _bars_ that weren't this nasty."

"What the hell's _causing_ that?" Gillam asked. He leaned over to look through the archway into the adjacent room. "Something inside?"

"Must be," Link agreed as he peered into the other room. There was very little light reaching the room beyond, so he pulled out his flare gun. "Watch out, Gillam."

"You're not gonna fire that—" Gillam began before a click from Link opening the gun's breach silenced him. He watched as Link pulled a blue flare shell from his belt, double-checked it in the dismal light, and replaced the red smoke shell already in the gun. Then Link stopped and looked at Gillam. "Never mind, sir," Gillam said, one hand raised in apology.

"Back up a bit," Link said as he aimed the gun into the other room. Gillam did as he was told, and both he and Line put their fingers in their ears.

 _FZZZZZZZZZZzzzzz!_ The shell disappeared into the dark room beyond. A second later, the flare ignited lightning blue. Link reloaded the smoke shell and holstered the gun.

Gillam headed the group inside, followed by Irleen and Link. The next room was massive, so large that the flare's light barely reached any of the walls. The floor looked and felt like well-sculpted marble, the quality of which seemed much richer than the tower let on. Its only flaw was the thin layer of dust on its surface. While the flare failed to show many more features, they could at least a mezzanine that circled the whole room and paintings which decorated the walls. The paintings were paired on each wall between doorways leading outside. Only two sets of stairs led up to the mezzanine from underneath the structure, one to east and west (as far as Link could tell; his ability to track his own direction was a little confused) where corresponding entryways should be. The ceiling above at least showed some kind of ornate, circular cap of metal, but details were hard to make out with the flare's meager light.

"Well, Mister Gillam?" Link asked. "You were the building inspector."

"Aye, sir," Gillam replied as his eyes wandered the mezzanine. "But I've _never_ been in a building like this before. I can't even _see_ anything, but I can tell _that_ much."

"Hey, Link," Line spoke up. Link, Gillam, and Irleen turned to find him standing next to the nearest painting. "Check this out." Line then put his hand up to show them that the painting had a large gash across its surface, the canvas split diagonally. "Not much of a housekeeper around."

"Can you tell what the painting is?" Irleen asked.

"Nah, it's too dark."

"Hang on," Gillam said as he strode in Line's direction. However, instead of joining Line, he continued further toward the dark behind him, toward another entrance. For a moment, the best Link, Line, and Irleen could make out was a dull blue blob moving around where Gillam had disappeared. Something nearby clattered, and the echo caused both boys to jump in surprise. "Oh, yeah."

Gillam's voice had come with an air of success, so Link called to him, "What is it?"

"There's a rack of torches over here," Gillam said. There was a pause before he told them, "They're soaked in… Hmm. Something. I bet we can still use them."

"You brought matches?" Line asked.

"Nope," Gillam said as he stepped into view again, a small bundle of torches under his arm. Instead of walking back, however, he walked over to the blue flare. Link, Line, and Irleen moved in that same direction. They came close enough to see Gillam press one of the torches onto the flare. When he pulled it away, he showed the boys that the flare had taken to the torch and produced a normal flame caged within a thin, metal framework that almost looked like the bottom half of a lantern. "Don't tell me you didn't think of that."

"We'll need two more," Link told him.

Gillam passed the first to Line and pulled another from under his arm. "What're we looking for in here, Captain?" he asked as he pressed it into the flare.

Link let the question hang in the air. This caused both Gillam and Line to turn to him in alarm. He offered them a weak smile and gave the slightest shake of his head as he told them, "I don't know."

Gillam raised the torch he had just lit over his head to look around. "Well, there're plenty of places to look," he said with a resigned sigh.

"All right," Link said, more to help psych himself up rather than indicating that he was ready, "Irleen will come with me, and—" He indicated the stairs behind him, which he was sure was east. "—we'll check out this side. You two poke around the other side. Anything happens—"

"Scream as loud as possible," Line finished.

Link gave Line an annoyed glance. "Don't separate."

"Be careful, Captain," Gillam said as he offered the torch to him. Link nodded, accepted the torch, and turned to walk toward the stairs with Irleen in tow. After lighting one more torch and leaving the rest on the floor near the flare, Gillam and Line started for the west side.

Link's first thoughts went to the paintings on the wall near the stairs. He found that they had been slashed similarly to the one Line had examined. Even more interesting than that was the fact that the canvas was blank on both. There was definitely a layer of paint; they were simply gray and lacking any features. He wondered if they had been painted over.

"Hey, Link," Irleen said as Link slowly held the torch close to the second painting, examining the blank frame. "Look at the wall."

"What?" Link asked, not seeing what she was talking about.

"The wall around the frame," she clarified. "Doesn't it look a little discolored?"

Link thought that might have been what she was talking about, but he still didn't see it. It was not until he ran a finger against the wall near the frame when he realized that there _was_ a discoloration. A lighter color surrounded the painting, showing that something with a larger (and perhaps more elaborate) frame had once been here. He carefully set his torch against the wall.

"Wait, you're not gonna take it _off_ , are you?" Irleen asked.

"It's just a painting," Link told her as he carefully put his hands on the frame. He lifted it and slowly removed it from the wall.

On the other side, all he found was more wall, its color a little lighter than the uncovered area. Link realized that he was holding his breath and let out a sigh.

"A little anticlimactic," Irleen remarked as Link set the painting on the floor.

Link let out a sigh and picked the torch up. "Yeah, that was kinda disappointing." He glanced at the nearby stairs. "Let's try upstairs."

Irleen looked across the room. "You'd better hurry," she told him as they started for the steps. "Gillam and Line are already up there."

"It's not a race," Link said.

The stairs were wooden, and the creaking they gave off as Link climbed felt more like it came from his own spine. They lacked a banister or even a handrail. Link decided that this was all right since it let him hold the torch in his right hand while his left hand was free to draw his sword at any time. The stairs ended in a landing that curved into the mezzanine. Now that there was light up here, Link found that there were more pictures on the wall. He could also see that most of the mezzanine floor was stone; the only other material was a wooden rail that circled the outside to keep people from falling over. Another stairway far on the north end led up into the ceiling. Since Link could see Line and Gillam slowly approaching it, he thought that he would do the same from this side.

"Link, wait a minute," Irleen said just as Link turned in that direction.

"What is it?" Link asked. He glanced over his shoulder to see that she was looking in the opposite direction.

"There's… something over there."

Link turned toward the south side of the mezzanine. No stairs, but more pictures at least.

Including one that had not been slashed.

"What, that picture?" Link asked.

"It's more than that," Irleen said. "I couldn't see it because it's been right above us this whole time.

"I think something's _alive_ over there."

Link felt this heart punch the inside of his chest. He had never felt more haunted by words. Something _alive_? With all these former Hylians on the brink of death all around them, hiding away in the shadows, how could something actually be _alive_? Of course, Irleen did not sound very sure of herself. But compared to the fright she had when looking at what remained of the settlers, this came across more as a curiosity. That should have been a reason to be _relieved_. Right?

Link reached around his back to pop open the pouch holding his boomerang. It would be the first thing he grabbed if something went wrong; it worked as a decent blunt weapon in a pinch. "Okay then," he told Irleen. Then he started walking.

He had to admit some misgivings about walking away from Line and Gillam, mostly because, if something happened to him, they would have to round the room just to reach him. He found himself glancing over his shoulder to keep an eye on their progress, allowing Irleen to take the lead. It felt like it made his walking slower, but before he knew it, he had to stop and find Irleen's light. By then, she had come to a halt in front of the painting.

Just like the others, this one was a canvas of gray in one, solid blank. But this one had a more elaborate frame to it, its edges curving and jutting out to follow the floral pattern on the frame's black surface. Link realized that this frame looked more like the space left by the missing painting downstairs. It was also taller and reached almost to the floor in a way that Link had seen for a full body portrait. This left little doubt in Link's mind that this painting, although still lacking in any sort of picture, was one of the original paintings placed in this tower.

"I don't get it," he told Irleen. "It's just the same, blank painting."

"I don't see it anymore," Irleen said.

"See what? Life?"

"Yeah. I thought I saw something glowing behind the painting, but… I lost sight of it halfway, and now it's completely _gone_."

"You mean… there's someone _behind_ this one?"

Irleen gave a moment's pause. "I-I _guess_?"

"All right, let's take a look," Link told her as he set his torch against the wall once again.

"Be careful, Link," she told him.

"I'll be careful," Link said as he pressed up against the painting so that his hands would reach either side. "You get ready to scream if something attacks me."

"Yeah, that about sums up my life at this point," she said, her voice empty as she watched.

Link lifted the painting first, and he felt it detach from the wall. Since he had placed his torch on the right, he stepped sideways to the left. He scraped the top edge of the painting against the wall, but he felt that, should he lean backward at any time, the painting would come down on top of him. It took some effort because it was so awkward, but he finally set the painting down once he was sure that he had uncovered the wall behind it.

"Whoa, Link," Irleen said with an air of awe. "You've gotta _see_ this." Link backed a step to get a better look.

The wall behind the painting had a recess just large enough that Link might have been able to squeeze inside if he could press himself flat standing up. Hanging inside that recess was what looked to be a shield. It was triangular with its top side curved inward and its bottom sides bowing slightly outward. The bare metal frame was held in place with a thick clamp in each corner, each one sporting a large, flat-topped rivet. The field looked to be solid purple. This was most covered by white bands that, when Link angled his head correctly, stood out from the surface. What really caught attention, though, was the eye-like shape that appeared to peek out through the bands in the left side of the shield. It was like looking at an eye without a face, just a ball with an amber iris that stared for eternity.

"Is _this_ thing alive?" Link asked as he slowly reached both hands inside.

"No, it isn't," Irleen said. She watched him take it off the wall. Then she fluttered into the recess while Link turned away with the shield. "I don't get it. There _was_ something in here."

Link angled the shield so that his torch light would reflect off it better. It felt about as heavy as any other shield he had encountered. He looked hard at the eye peering between the bands. Then he wondered if he should have been doing that, given that he knew little about this shield. He had to admit that, on an island covered in a people slowly dying, this was one of the more bizarre things they had found.

The shield blinked at him.

"Yikes!" Link thrust the shield away from him as he jumped backwards. The shield clanged loudly on the mezzanine's stone floor, the sound almost mocking as it came to rest.

"What?!" Irleen cried in alarm. "What happened?!"

"I'm okay, I'm okay," Link quickly told her. "I just…" He trailed off as he looked at the shield lying on the ground just a few paces away, staring at the ceiling as if nothing had happened. Link could not see how it had blinked at him. He considered the torch for a moment. Then he told Irleen, "I-I'm probably seeing things. I could almost swear the eye on that thing blinked."

"Link!" Link turned to see Line and Gillam halfway across the mezzanine. He held up a hand, and the two slowed to barely a walk.

"It doesn't look like it's blinking now," Irleen said, having moved to hover over the shield.

Link stepped up to the shield and picked it up. He turned it over to find that the back side was a single plate with a pair of small straps bolted to it. No guige, which caused Link to frown at it. He ran one finger over a crude shape carved into the surface above the left strap, a circle with some type of round, oblong shape cupping the circle's bottom half. He slipped his arm into the straps and held it up for Irleen to see. "What do you think?" he asked.

"You're not actually taking that thing _with_ you, are you?"

"I think I could _use_ a shield."

"Look, just because you lost that one the king gave you—"

"I _liked_ that shield," Link interrupted her in an irritated tone. "Of the three shields I had, that was the only one that someone actually _gave_ me. And I didn't _lose_ it; Cunimincus _ate_ it."

"You see, I _never_ seem to catch anyone having these kinds of conversations," Gillam said as he and Line stepped up behind Link. "You okay, Captain?"

"I'm fine," Link said as he turned to them. He held up the shield for them to see. "What do you think?"

"Creepy beyond belief," Line told him in a slow, deliberate tone.

"Eeeeh… yeeeah," Gillam said. He jerked a thumb at Line. "I gotta agree with him. I think that thing's looking at us."

Link let out a sigh. "Fine, it's a little creepy," he admitted. He used his free hand to point across the foyer. "Find anything over there?"

The two exchanged a look. Then Line said, "We did, but you're not gonna like it."

Link gestured toward the other side of the mezzanine. "Lead the way."

They led him around the mezzanine in the direction they had just come from. Link was a little surprised that neither one said anything to each other. Or at least give him a hint. They took him to the bottom of the stairway. But instead of climbing, Line just pointed up. Link held his torch high to see beyond the black above.

Then he let out an exhausted sigh. "You're right. I don't like it."

The darkness did not yield. It simply blocked out the top of the stairs like a black trap door.


	17. Nightmares in the Light

Chapter 17: Nightmares in the Light

…

Link, Line, Gillam, and Irleen only remained for about another half hour before deciding that they had seen all there was to see at the tower. Not that it was much; the other foyers at the foot of the tower were just as empty as the first one, and the only other objects around the first floor were more torches. While Line and Gillam ragged on the creepiness of the shield Link had found, Link actually felt a little accomplished. The discovery felt like a long-desired victory. For once, the island did not feel like a hole in the world and the settlement not like a dumping ground for the perpetually dismal. The shield was a treasure. And he had the hope that it would be another step toward getting his crew home safely.

This idea naturally faced some scrutiny when he placed it on his desk during the small meeting he had with his command staff a few hours later. The return walk had seen their arrival at the ship in the early evening. Line and Gillam had been dismissed to finish their shift on-deck. Irleen had decided to lie down below deck with the rest of the female crew. On the order Link had left him that morning, Leynne had disappeared to gather the command staff for the meeting.

Sello was currently entertaining the shield with a staring contest.

"Have you any idea of its make?" Leynne asked after a few minutes of Link recapitulating their search of the tower.

Link, leaning on the map table, shook his head. "Not really," he said. "Since we found it undisturbed behind a painting that hadn't been touched, I'm guessing that whoever made the tower made the shield, too."

"I will _eat_ yer omelet," Sello told the shield, now leaning so close that his eye was almost touching the shield's eye. Sello was a tall man wearing an orange, loose-fitting body suit carrying a number of small tools in various loops and pockets. His blond hair was long and unruly and in direct defiance of gravity as it had been styled (one hoped) to stand up from his scalp.

"Ya tell 'em, Chief," Airman Lawrence, a stocky fellow barely above Link's height with his back pressed against the wall next to the door, told Sello. He wore a green body suit under a t-shirt bearing a vine-like design from Rake Island and a pair of black work trousers sporting areas where constant rubbing, especially on the knees, had turned the sturdy material glossy.

"Mister Lawrence, how's our coal and water supply looking?" Link asked.

"Wa'er's 'bout three-quar'ers empty," Lawrence told him in his Fire Realm miners' accent. "We go'a fill 'er up b'fore we leave. Coal's fine, though."

"Really?" Leynne asked as he sat on the end of Link's footlocker. "I had imagined us requiring coal as well. My calculations ah rahely so off."

"The Chief did somethin' tae the engine b'fore we lef'," Lawrence explained. "We ain' been fillin' it like we usually do."

Leynne let out a sigh. "Well, I suppose that's one _less_ resouhce we need."

Link nodded his head in agreement. "I don't think we'd have a lot of luck looking for coal here anyway." He turned to Cale, who was standing at the side of Link's desk watching the staring contest. "How about food, Cale?"

Cale looked up. "Lilly and Stan said that they would cut back on the food they use," he said. "Howevah, as Leynne had predicted, we will need to restock befoah we leave. Provided, of couhse, that it takes a single month to retahn to Might Island."

"I'd like to make sure we're covered on that," Link said. "That's why I'd like you and Line to check out the rest of the island in the _Conductor_ tomorrow morning."

Cale's face started to pale. "C-Captain… I-I'd rathah not…"

"I'd prefer it to be you," Link said. "I don't think the Sorians would intentionally introduce dangerous plants to the sky, but I'd rather _you_ take a look at them before we wind up dragging some kind of poisonous fruit or something on the ship. Sorry, but you'll have to take a bucket along. And… maybe have Line tie you to the deck."

Cale slowly nodded. "Aye… saah."

Link then looked at Leynne. "How far have you gotten with the repairs?"

"I've bahely begun," Leynne said. "A couple of the tools appeah to have broken some time ago, but I believe I can improvise. I just… it's been some time since I've had to wohk on these devices. I'm afraid I've been delaying."

"How long do you need?"

Leynne offered a weak shrug. "A week, pehhaps two? I'd feahed the damage even befoh I looked at the shop."

"Cap'n," Lawrence spoke up, stepping away from the wall. "I… I ha'e tae say this, bu' we ain' gonna be 'ere for two _weeks_ , is we?"

"Believe me," Link said, holding up a hand to stop him, "if I had my way, we'd be away from this island _tonight_. I know things aren't very pleasant around here, and I'm trying to make sure we get home. But we can't rush this, or we might not make it. Leynne, I'd like to you to make the mizzen-masts your _second_ priority. We can sail without a couple of sails; we _can't_ make it far without supplies. We need that river _here_."

"Agreed, Captain," Leynne said. "I have a few thoughts, but I'd like to go oveh them with you tomorrow."

Link nodded. "That's fine."

"Captain?" Cale asked. Link turned his attention to him. "I was wondering… what about the library? Will Ihleen and I be able to access it?"

"I don't know," Link answered honestly. "Two nights ago, it was flooded. We'll take a look at it once more before you two go in; I wanna make sure it'll be safe." He looked around at the rest of his staff. "Any other issues for the time being?"

"Cap'n." Lawrence's voice had pointedly broken a short silence as the chiefs around him tried to come up with more concerns. "Airman Botu brough' somethin' up I wan'ed tae ask ya 'bout. 'E said tha' _Layna_ said tha' someone was watchin' 'er las' nigh'."

Link's response was a defeated sigh while the rest of his chiefs exchanges glances with each other. Given all that had happened lately, the unusual wind, the dream Zelda had made for him, the crew not sleeping or succumbing to nightmares, Leynne's suspicions, and Layna's keen senses, there did not seem to be a point in denying what was going on. He wanted to believe he was wrong, but he still found himself saying, "There… may be something wrong with this island."

Dubbl, who had been mostly silent as she leaned on the bulkhead between the windows and the bed, pushed away and asked, "Layna… is right?"

"When has Layna ever been _wrong_?" Link asked. Then he told the rest of the room, "There's been so many coincidences lately… we could be looking at some kind of hostile."

Lawrence gave him a concerned look. "Wha' coincidences?" he asked.

"The bouts of insomnia ah a little hahd to link togetheh," Leynne spoke up. "But two days ago, when the winds fohced the _Symphony_ away? We've reason to believe that _that_ was an act of sabotage."

"Great Goddesses…" Cale breathed.

"The pylon we recovehed looks moh like it was intentionally released from the island," Leynne continued. "What's moh, the wind itself. Has no one noticed that we weh only subjected to that strength of wind _once_ in the three days we've beeh heh?"

"I's 'opin' we's jus' _lucky_ ," Lawrence admitted.

"Beoble on island?" Dubbl asked.

"I have some doubts about people on the _island_ having a hand in this," Leynne said. "But something _is_ intehfering. So fah, though, it prefehs the late evening oh late at night."

"I want to make sure this is clear to _everyone_ ," Link said, giving his voice a stern edge. " _No one_ goes out onto that island without someone else to watch them. Anyone who does will be confined to the ship for the rest of the visit."

"Captain, if I may," Leynne told him. Link nodded. "If we ah to assume that this hostile is causing problems as the crew sleeps, we should make suh we document this. If anyone has problems sleeping oh wakes up of a nightmah, I want it repohted to _me_ in the mohning. _Preferably_ afteh coffee."

"That goes for _everyone_ ," Link added. He glanced at Sello, who was still not paying attention to the meeting. He gave a small sigh and told Lawrence, "And have the night shift in the engine room report any odd behavior from Sello."

"Tha'll be a long lis', Cap'n," Lawrence replied with a half-grin. "We go' nothin' bu' new guys workin' nigh' shif'."

"Flower, I wanna see about—…" Link had started to address Flower only to find that Flower, having chosen to sit on Link's bed earlier, had fallen backwards to sleep. Link made eye contact with Dubbl and flipped a hand in his direction. Dubbl half-heartedly kicked the side of Flower's shin, causing Flower to start with a snort. "Mister Flower, are you awake?" Link asked.

"Augh…" Flower groaned as he sat up. "Sorry, Captain. I caught everything before Cale complained about riding in the _Conductor_ again."

"We were discussing the fact that something on the island may be wohking _against_ us," Leynne told him. "The insomnia and nightmahs the crew have been having may be related."

"Got it, Lieutenant," Flower replied as he used his fingers to rub the sleep from his eyes. "You needed me to do something, Captain?"

"I'd like Ray and Layna to switch shifts," Link said. "Layna is a lot more sensitive to whatever's going on. Since it all happens at _night_ …"

Flower was already nodding his understanding as he suppressed a yawn. "Aye, Captain," he said after losing the fight. "I'll have Dholit give her the good news."

"Dubbl," Link said, "pass word to the day shift; they might have to start sleeping _around_ the dead of night, especially if this thing is affecting their dreams."

"Ay'a, Kyaptin," Dubbl replied. "Zey sleeb— _sleep_ … afte' shift."

"Whatever it takes," Link said. "I need the day shift to be well-rested in case anything comes up."

"Captain," Leynne spoke up. "I have a thought if we ah to go that fah." Link nodded at him. "The people on the island seem to have a talent foh knowing when not to sleep. Might I suggest that, when the lights in the settlement go on, that no one aboahd should be asleep?"

Link looked dumbfounded for a moment. He had not considered that the strangeness of the people on the island might be because of the same hostile force that was trying to affect his crew. So he nodded and said, "Agreed. If the town's awake, so are we. It might take some time to adjust, but this is for the crew's sake."

"Crew's gonna be asking questions," Flower pointed out, his voice carrying a warning tone.

"Then tell them what we know," Link replied, his tone making the answer sound obvious. Then he explained, "Botu was already asking questions last night; it's gotten around by now. It won't do us any good to try denying it. Just try to keep the crew calm."

"Aye, sir," Flower said.

"Is there any other business?"

"How about the technoworks?" Flower asked.

Link pressed a hand over his eyes as he bowed his head. "We're still trying to find access. If anyone happens to find some kind of underground access, we need to know as soon as possible."

"Would you like us to have crewmembehs exploh the island on a regulah basis?" Leynne asked, his tone hinting confusion.

Link sighed and looked up at the crew. "If we haven't made any significant progress tomorrow, we'll do that," he decided aloud. "Let's… try to take it slow. Anyone else with concerns?" Looks passed around, but no one spoke up. "Okay. You have your assignments; it's business as usual otherwise. Get going; it's gonna be a long night."

The command crew, in their various stages of anxiety and drowsiness, started to file toward the door. Lawrence grabbed the collar of Sello's suit and dragged him backwards to the door. However, once they cleared the door, Link heard a _thunk_ from outside. Dubbl, who had just come to a stop at the door, delivered the deck an irate glare as she carefully stepped outside. Flower followed her, idly kicking something just as he exited.

"Leynne," Link spoke up just as Leynne took the door behind Flower. "One second."

Leynne froze, and Link thought he had seen a troubling look flash across his profile. However, he closed the door and turned to Link with an emotionless expression. "Captain?" he replied.

Link was a little taken aback by the reaction. Leynne had always had a formal edge to his mannerisms, something which other company airmen had called "snobbiness" among other less tasteful wordings. Link, however, had often been subjected to Leynne's comfortable side. He knew this to be a sign that Leynne was either under stress or might be bearing bad news to himself. Considering their circumstances, Link decided that Leynne was letting the island's medley of mysteries get to him. "Look, I know things are getting tense," he told Leynne.

Link watched Leynne's face relax, although Leynne was not one to show relief in the same expression. "It shows," he reasoned.

"One of us needs to keep his head clear," Link said. He pushed away from the map table. "Zelda contacted me. At least _my_ dreams are being manipulated by someone else; she can tell this."

"And… you wanted to keep this from the crew?" Leynne asked.

Link shook his head. "It probably wasn't the best idea," he admitted. "But. If I start losing it, if I start doing something… crazy… you're probably the only one on this ship I trust to get them _all_ home."

Leynne's face formed a frown. "'Friend of the crew'," he recited in an embittered voice.

"If anything I do puts them in harm's way, take command," Link told him. "I want you t—"

"I promise."

Link was a little stunned that Leynne could so easily predict his statement. Then he smiled. "Thanks."

"Foh the recohd, that 'friend of the crew' passage is on page seventeen," Leynne told him as he turned to the door. He opened it.

And then Link saw Leynne pause. He could not see Leynne's face this time, not until he turned back to Link. However, just as abruptly as Leynne had frozen at the door again, he seemed to decide that what he had to say could at least wait. Instead, he gave his head a slight bow. "Goodnight, Link."

Link nodded in response, and Leynne exited. But, even as he appreciated the well wishing, he felt that the night would only get worse.

…

"9/20, Expedition Day 38.

"Princess Zelda contacted me in my dreams this morning. She warned me that something else is interfering with my dreams. Well, to put it exactly, my nightmares are watching me. I think back to it now, and I can't even begin to think that she might be wrong. So far, nothing has made sense on this island. The Hylians here act like they've lost their minds; they sure couldn't do much for the rest of their bodies. To me, it's just an indication of what will happen if we don't get off this island soon. As for how they got like that, well, we just don't know. I'm not sure if we'll ever know. I'd sooner leave this place behind than find out any more. On top of that, there are still these black bodies not only underground now, we have one in the tower. The area above the first floor of the tower is blocked off by that same black thing. If we encounter it any more, I think I might chance stabbing it with something sharp. It'll be more progress than what we've seen lately.

"Then, of course, there's today's mystery. That same tower had a shield hidden behind a painting on the upper part of the first floor. Not exactly the prettiest thing in the world, but it sure doesn't look Hylian. In fact, I'm very sure it isn't Hylian. Airman Gillam explained that, based on his experience as a building inspector, two different parts of the tower were made at two different times. The newer part of the tower is around the base. And, if Gillam's right, it was built by the Hylians that arrived here before us. But then that leaves the original structure on the inside, the tower itself. Only one painting was replaced: the same one I found the shield behind. It was probably a fluke that we found it, although Irleen's been on top of her observations ever since we met the locals. Why replace all the paintings in a large room, but only leave this one? It wasn't any different from the others; just a blank, grey canvas. Was it because the shield was behind it? For every question we answer, it's like five more appear. Zelda's last message said something about an item that I need being in the tower. It makes me wonder how she found out about the shield, assuming that the shield was that item. Well, it's here now. If it doesn't eat me or anything tonight, I just might not toss it overboard.

"The crew's getting antsy, and I know what they're going through. I mean, it isn't as if Captain Alfonzo took us to a haunted island or anything, but I think back to those few times when things seemed desperate because we couldn't find a job or couldn't get the fuel we needed. He tried to keep things from us, but all it seemed to do was make the crew worse. When you're a kid on a ship, a lot of adults won't notice you standing between them when they start talking about treachery and mutiny. No one ever had the courage to stand up to Alfonzo, but then Alfonzo was the kind of guy who would just knock you flat on your ass. I don't have such a luxury with my crew. I have to let them know what's going on, or else they just might chuck me overboard. If secrets won't do it, maybe honesty will help more. I've already kept Zelda's news from them; I can't afford any more secrets."

Link paused as he stared at the word "secrets" for what felt like a long time. In the waning light of the late evening and the bulb in the deckhead above, the word felt as if it stood out more from the logbook's page. He gave himself some time to think, trying to find any other secrets that he would do better sharing rather than keeping to himself. He glanced at the shield now sitting next to the head of his bed. It was eerie to have it there; he felt as if it had been watching him ever since he put it there and took the desk to make his log entry for the evening. He had yet to see it blink again. In addition to the fact that Irleen did not say anything about seeing any life flowing through it, he wondered if it was even worth mentioning that the shield _might_ be alive.

Maybe not to the crew, he decided, but there should be _some_ note of it. So he turned his attention back to the log.

"As for the shield, I can't help getting this weird feeling from it. It might have been the light or my fatigue (probably both), but I swear that the thing blinked at me when we first found it. Irleen only noticed it because she thought she saw signs of life behind its painting. Maybe the both of us are losing our minds. I can't wait to get away from this island."

…

Link had trouble getting to sleep. He tried not to focus on the nightmares he had had the two previous nights, but he had nothing else to keep his mind away from those thoughts. Irleen had decided to sleep below deck again; staring at her light reflecting on the deckhead usually lulled him to sleep on a difficult evening. The sounds of his crew wandering about had never bothered him before, either. Now, it was like every footstep, every creak of the deck, sent a shock up his spine that halted his progress again.

He thought that, at one point, he _had_ finally fallen to sleep.

Then he woke up, no drowsier than before he had decided to go to bed. In fact, he was sure he could not feel _any_ of his fatigue trying to drive him to dream land. He tried to come up with a solution that did not involve having Layna stab him with one of her drugged needles. When he decided he could not, he threw his feet over the side of the bed and sat up.

The cabin door opened, and he immediately stood up as he saw a shadow framed by the deck lights step inside. "Captain?" he heard Leynne's voice gently call.

"What is it?" Link asked.

"Captain, the lights in the town ah on," Leynne explained, taking another step inside.

Link gave his tongue an annoyed click as he glanced out the window. "Well, this is probably about the right time."

"Captain?"

Link turned back to Leynne. "Leynne, I'm right here," he said.

Then Leynne stepped further into the cabin and toward Link's bed. Link backed away; Leynne would have bumped into him otherwise with his brisk pace. When Leynne placed a hand on the bed, Link thought that he was about to _steal_ the bed from Link. Not that Link would have minded at this point, knowing that something was causing his crew's insomnia.

"Link, wake up."

Link felt a cold shiver rattle his backbone. Leynne was not talking to him. Leynne was not even _looking_ at him. Now that Leynne was out of the doorway, Link could see that there was someone else already in his bed.

Link looked on in horror as Leynne tried to shake Link awake.

Link's lifeless body remained on the bed, largely ignorant of Leynne trying to shake it awake. Meanwhile, Link could feel Leynne's hand on his shoulder; he tried to grab for it even when looking told him that there was nothing there. Link backed into the desk and nearly fell over.

"Link?" Leynne asked, his voice rising with concern.

Link looked down at himself. His first thoughts were that he had spontaneously died. However, whereas he had expected to see his body glowing in the dark, he found it just as difficult to see. He reminded himself of an encounter on the surface: an old man who had died long before Link had met him. But then… why did Leynne not notice a second Link standing nearby?

He heard Leynne heave a sigh. "Well, even if it's a nightmah, at least you can get some sleep," he said before standing up.

Sleeping? Link was _sleeping_? Link leaned around to see past Leynne. He watched his body's chest rise and fall, not something easily viewed considering the poor light.

Leynne walked to the door, and Link nearly followed him. He hesitated, wondering if he should _try_ interacting with Leynne at the risk of frightening the man out of his mind. Leynne had already shut the door before Link could come to a decision.

So Link moved to his chair and fell into it with such weight that the chair scraped the deck as it shifted. He tried to ponder over his actions for a moment, wondering if there was something he should do about the situation. It was clear to him that something had happened, but he could not figure out how or why.

Then his eyes fell on the sliver of silver moonlight near the head of the bed. He stood up again and retrieved the shield from the floor. On the same thin slice of moonlight filtering through the glass, Link angled the shield to find that the eye had changed. Part of the shield's field had pulled down over the eye like an eyelid. Link used a pair of fingers to feel the soft, skin-like texture of the eyelid against the solid smoothness of the field itself. It clenched Link's earlier idea that the shield was alive.

Link had an idea, and he would need to find Layna. So he placed the shield on his desk and walked to the door. When he opened the door, though, he froze as his mind perceived something wrong. He had opened one door, but there was another door still shut in front of him. This other door was still cloaked in the dark of the cabin; the only reason Link noticed it was the uncharacteristic dimness of the outside lights. He turned back into his cabin. The dim light only cast itself on things he had touched: his chair and the shield. But where he saw his chair, he could make out a thin shadow where the chair had been before he had rested in it. The shield was much more prominent. There were _two_ of them: the shield with its eye closed resting flat on the desk's surface and the shield still propped against the head of his bed, still barely visible in the moonlight. He had moved them, yet they had remained unmoved. It was as if he had only moved a layer of them, that they were only moved part of the way because this was some kind of dream. It was his best conclusion. To test if he could touch the unmoved layer, he turned back to the door and tried to touch the door he could look through. His hand passed through the doorknob and grew dim from the experience. He quickly withdrew his hand, but he found that it looked and felt all right. So he stepped through the door, closing his cabin as he set foot on the deck.

Outside, he saw Flower, Lwamm, and Twali wander the deck while someone else, whom he took to be Gold, stood at the helm on the forecastle. He moved away from the aftcastle and looked up. Ray stood on the quarterdeck, her eyes focused on the island. Above her on the poop deck, Airman Hunter appeared more interested in the ship's banner idly hanging from the pole in front of him. Not that the lack of wind was a serious concern, but Link made note of the fact that there did not even seem to be a breeze coming off the island. But if Ray was on-deck, it meant that Flower had decided to let Layna sleep. In fact, Leynne would likely be going below to wake the day crew up before they tried sleeping through another disturbed night. Link's eyes swept across the main deck until he spotted Leynne just as he descended into the stairs on the port side. He brought himself to a jog to catch up.

Below, Link waited in the cargo hold while Leynne disappeared into the berthing deck. When he came back out, he had a line behind him consisting of Dholit, Biluf, Line, Brandon, Airman Harley from the engine room, Layna, and Botu. From where Link was standing, if anyone knew he was there, they would have looked at the space in front of the port stairs.

Layna froze in the doorway, and Botu had to catch himself before colliding with her. Someone behind Botu bumped into him instead, and he turned around to deliver an insult. Layna's eyes had locked onto Link. He had a brief glimpse of surprise, something so rarely seen from Layna. Then she switched to "Kill Mode", giving Link a stare devoid of emotion.

It helped Link realize that whatever was watching them, triggering Layna's senses, it might not be in the real world. In fact, Link was certain that the culprit existed in this odd layer of reality. It seemed much more plausible.

"Layna?" Biluf asked. Link glanced over to find that the rest of the crew, about to move down the starboard stairs, had stopped to see what Layna was doing. Biluf approached Layna with a careful pace, not wanting to trigger any of her best friend's murderous reflexes. "Layna, waba xwicikak max?"

"Rujun." Both Biluf and Dholit visibly tensed from Layna's single word.

Meanwhile, the rest of the crew looked around in confusion. Leynne asked Dholit, "What is it?"

"Eyes," Dholit repeated. She tried to follow Layna's gaze as she explained, "Layna senses someone watching us."

Botu, having squeezed past Layna and Biluf, stepped closer to Leynne and said, "She said the same thing last night. It…" He gestured at Layna. "It wasn't like this, though."

"Nway thacomak tac 'iyba," Layna spoke up. "Nway sithifak." This caused Biluf to share a spooked look with Dholit.

This also prompted Leynne to ask, "What did she say?"

"This is different from befoah," Dholit translated. "It is closah."

"Closeh," Leynne repeated. "Can she… tell if it's dangerous?"

Dholit raised an eyebrow at him. "Would _you_ trust that which you cannot see?"

"On _this_ ship?" Brandon asked. "I'm having a hard time trusting what I _can_ see."

"You haven't been on this ship long enough," Line told him before succumbing to a yawn.

"What are we not seeing?" Gillam asked as he pondered how he should squeeze past Layna and the doorway while Biluf was standing in the way.

Leynne looked around the hold for a moment. Then he said, "Have heh come downstaihs foh now. If it follows heh, we'll wohry about it then."

He stepped aside and used a hand to wave the crew along. Biluf slid a hand around Layna's bicep and tugged until Layna decided to follow the rest of the crew, although her eyes stayed locked onto Link's position until she had to turn to go down the stairs. Gillam and Line pondered the same spot for a moment. After sharing a confused shrug, they descended as well.

Link did not follow. He did not want to spook Layna further out of fear that she might hurt someone. Instead, now that he knew she could see him like this, he had one other task to take care of: he had to find the creature that was watching them. So he turned and went back upstairs.

Link was halfway across the main deck when he glanced out at the island. He stopped in his tracks, and then he rushed to the starboard side to lean on the bulwark.

The settlement glowed with light, far more than he had ever seen on a regular night. The buildings on the outskirts showed more color than they had even in day. Lit forms appeared to move about the streets rather than the hollow husks of the previous Hylian settlers. The tower, bathed in beams from below, stood out against the starry sky for once. Even the open area between the ship and the settlement was aglow, a steady wave of blue washing across its surface like ripples emanating from the middle of the island. Just looking at this (and wondering why he had not noticed it before), he found himself coming to an absurd decision.

The island was alive.


	18. Janni

Chapter 18: Janni

…

Link rushed back into his cabin and dressed in his tunic, work slacks, and boots as fast as he could. Then he flung open his footlocker. After taking a bit of time to decide whether it would do any good to carry a sword around, he put on his sword and boomerang. He decided against his pin hammer for now, and Irleen's gems would not do him any good as long as Irleen was not with him; he could not even use her exploding gem since he could not remember the Sorian words to trigger it. The flare gun would be equally as useless since no one could see him firing it. The Sorian bracelet was no question; if a sword could be used, he would need some strength behind it. He wished he had another piece of equipment. He felt exposed otherwise.

He noticed a source of light near the top of his vision as he closed the footlocker. He looked up to see the shield still waiting face-up on his desk. For a moment, he wondered if he should take it along. Then he crossed the room and picked it up, reasoning that he had already carried it to the ship. After he slipped his right hand into it again, he turned and left the cabin.

As he crossed the deck, he noticed how deathly silent things were. His eyes wandered back and forth, wondering if he was just not noticing his crew. Of course, they were still there; Flower was just stepping out from behind the starboard staircase, and Lwamm's and Twali's dark skin color made spotting them in the broken deck lighting more of a challenge in a rush. The Gelto preferred to wear soft-soled shoes on the deck, meaning that Link could only hear about half of the crew walking the deck at any time.

Link carefully walked down the gangplank. However, he hesitated at the bottom just before touching the pulsing rock that was the island's surface. He could not help feeling that there was some parallel between this and an incident two years ago on Bold Island. Back then, a Sorian had outwitted some of Cunimincus' crew (granted, Irleen had mentioned at the time that those particular creatures were not very smart to begin with) and turned the technoworks, living _rock_ , against them to slaughter them in very simple, very _brutal_ ways. He wondered if the tiles of rock they had been walking across could be another kind of technowork that just might decide to attack him in the same way: forming itself into vaguely human shapes and either crushing him or slicing him apart. His best indication that it would be another such trap would be if the tiles reacted to him in any way, just as the technoworks had acknowledged him and Layna as trespassers. He kept his body stiff and ready to run if that was the case, and he carefully raised one foot to touch to the tiles.

Once that foot was down, he felt like an idiot. The stone walkway continued to pulse as if he was nothing. Link took in a relieved breath and let it out in a sigh. Then he started across bound for the settlement.

He had to admit that it was a little comforting to know where the island beneath him was at instead of having to rely on the edge of the starry sky. Even after a single pulse of light passed, the ground remained illuminated enough that he could make out some detail on the tiles he stepped on. However, he refused to let himself relax, glancing over his shoulder to the ship until it was just a dim light on the horizon and making sure to thoroughly study a spot each and every time his eyes moved. He wanted to make sure that whoever Layna was sensing would not surprise him.

A scream from the settlement made Link jump. Without realizing it, he had walked the entire way to the outskirts without even looking forward to check where he was going. This was probably the reason he had to stop short of walking into a wall. He rounded the house and started to walk the nearest street, which looked to stretch toward the tower at the center.

The population definitely had a different look about them, although Link still felt that their presences were as empty as before. Instead of hollow black staring at him, the settlers sported white bodies with distinct, blue orbs of light in place of normal eyes. They still wore their cloaks, although Link _did_ happen to note that one settler also wore trousers that peered out from the bottom scraps of his cloak, worn over legs that clearly did not exist anymore. He wondered if that was just some oversight or if maybe that particular settler was similar to Maroon. Link never got the chance to ask, losing the settler in the crowd.

Link was also amazed to see some color on these simple buildings around him, including proper Hylian writing. However, as welcome as the bright colors against the glow of the pulsing street were, Link found that the messages carried disturbing ideas as he read them.

—"Run away"

—"Nightmares"

—"Can you find my children?"

—"No hiding"

—"I cannot wash blood away."

—"Why won't you just let us die?!"

—"I'm sorry I don't remember your name."

Link felt himself grow cold and sick. These ones stood out in his mind because of their clarity; the rest, when they were legible, read as nonsense like "Swinging from a ceiling" and "Don't touch my hand". He had never seen such graffiti before. It told him of a poor state that the Hylian settlers had been living in while they waited for their ultimate fate as wandering nothings. Or, Link began to realize, death.

He clasped the handle of his sword with his right hand. He thought that it would help steel him from his surroundings, but his shaking hand caused the sword to rattle in its sheath. It made him wonder how hard it would be to wake up right now, far from his body and so deep asleep that Leynne could not rouse him. If this view of the island became too much for him, would the shield release him? Could he be scared into waking, like any of the number of nightmares he had had throughout his life? He would have gladly looked for a way to leave this new horror.

Instead, he shook his head, closed his eyes, and took in a few deep breaths. Running was not an option. Something in this twisted reality was after his crew, and he had to stop it before they became the next generation of broken settlers to roam about this desolate island. What would people say back home? And what if those same people came _looking_ for them?

Link shook his head again. He had to get his thoughts straight and quit focusing on what _might_ come. He opened his eyes and started forward into the crowd, deciding that his first stop should be the library buried under the streets. Maybe, if he looked at the library, an original part of the island, he might find some answers.

As he continued down the streets, he found it harder to avoid the settlers. Two of them, he bumped into on accident. They did not disappear like before, but Link only assumed that it was not happening because he was not hitting them hard enough. Instead, though, the second one he bumped looked at him. It was subtle, but Link could tell that he had done something that actually garnered some attention. Naturally, Link could not discern much of a reaction from its blank face. It did not say anything to him, either. It just looked at him and then went about its business. It made Link wonder if, somehow, the settlers were asleep on the same level as him. But then, the lack of further response seemed to indicate that they could not see Link. Or at least, they could not perceive him without having to go through the insanity filtering their interactions. Other than that, it seemed like life simply continued as it had been. He occasionally caught snippets of one-sided conversations, but their words were just as nonsensical as before.

"Heh heh~"

Link froze. About half an hour into his exploration in this new view of an old society covered in dreariness and subtle insanities… and he heard someone _giggle_? The full impact of the thought sent a shiver up his spine. It had been high-pitched, like a girl's voice. And while it was not really unusual to hear one of the settlers giggle, this one actually sounded like it had a bit of mirth to it. If that was the case, Link found it to be even _more_ disturbing. It had sounded close. He stood still in the middle of an intersection between two streets, the residents around him simply walking around like he was just a small obstacle.

"Heh heh heh~"

Link jerked to his left just in time to see a figure flee out of the street.

"Wait!" Link hollered as he spurred himself into a run. "Stop!" He bounced off three more locals as he ran for the narrow side street the giggler had disappeared into. Other than a few of the settlers, it did not seem like anyone had come down this street.

Until he saw a shadow jump from behind a stack of crates further down and around another corner. He gave chase again, not even bothering to shout. He rounded the corner just as the shadow ducked down another street. Even as he followed, Link realized that he was being led by this creature. He considered briefly that he was about to fall into a trap. It was just enough that, before he moved onto the next street, he looked down it to make sure there was no obvious sign that he was about to be caught.

He was being led away from the residents; this much he could tell just by the fact that fewer and fewer seemed to wander this part of the settlement. He knew this was the western areas of the settlement. Other than that, he was lost with that third turn. The streets narrowed and widened to accommodate the buildings, whatever they were now. Twice, Link was forced to ascend and descend a set of stairs that did not seem to have a purpose; they just happened to be built into the middle of the road, whereas the sides of the road were still level.

Just before what must have been the twelfth turn, Link had to slow down and catch his breath. Even in a dream-like reality, he was not fit enough to run for so long. He had kept his pace just under a full run due to the fact that he wore a pair of boots that would accelerate him to top speed. While this might have made it easier to catch the shadow, it was also a good way to collide with the side of a wall if he lost focus. He leaned on the corner for a moment. Then he peered around.

The street was deserted. Link looked backwards to see that the street he was on also lacked locals. And yet, he noticed that the lamps in this area were lit as well. As he stepped around, he saw a few crates at the top of about a dozen stairs in the middle of the road. The space between buildings was wide, probably just a little narrower than some of the other streets. There were no turns at the foot of the stairs, so Link gathered that the creature was somewhere at the top. He did not hear any further giggling or the scuffle of shoes on the run. It had to have stopped here.

Heart pounding from both exercise and fear, Link held the shield in a ready position to protect his chest and started up the stairs. Still no sound; even the din of people talking, even the _screams_ , were too far away to hear. He dared a glanced back down the street, but he was so lost that he could not even tell where the main roads were. He would need to jump on the nearby buildings to gauge his location. But he would do that later.

The two crates had been placed against the wall on the right side of the street. Link was just ascending the last few steps when he realized that he had been given the slip. He only confirmed this when, standing at the top of the stairs, he had a view of the area immediately behind the crates. Nothing. With a sigh, he looked further down the street for a moment. Nowhere else to hide, and at least two more streets the shadow could have disappeared down. Furthermore, it seemed like this time, the shadow _wanted_ to escape. That must have been the trap, Link realized. A miserable little prank. It would have been nice to catch the creature; it might have given Link someone else to talk to, someone who was still in some sort of right mind. He glanced down the stairs. And then he gave the street one last look.

He met a pair of large, amber eyes instead.

"WHOA!" Link hollered as he jumped backwards. One foot missed the landing, and he felt himself slide down the stairs. He placed his hands on the ground to stop his fall.

And the creature stepped up in front of him. "Heh heh!"

Link looked up to see those wide, amber eyes on a round face covered in dark blue skin. It wore a smile, showing pointed teeth glistening in the lamplight. It had no visible nose on its smooth face, only a pair of narrow, vertical slits where nostrils should be. Its hair, cropped in the front so it had wispy bangs and loosely tied behind its back, was brighter blue against its skin if still pretty dark in the dim lights. Its top was a long-sleeved, woolen shirt with thick, horizontal stripes of red and black. Its trousers looked to match its skin and carried loops of chain that hardly made a sound, two chains on its left hip, one on the right. Even wearing thick clothing, Link could tell that the creature underneath was quite scrawny by Hylian standards. Its feet were bare, allowing black nails to grow out into thick, pointed claws. Link could not see its hands because they were thrust into its trousers' pockets.

Link carefully raised the shield while he stumbled back to his feet. "Who are you?" he asked as his left hand slid toward his sword, done slow to avoid alarming it.

It had no eyebrows, but Link saw its brow rise in the light. "Who am I?" it asked in a teasing tone. Its voice definitely carried a girl's pitch, so this _had_ to be the shadow Link was following. She removed a hand from her pocket and tapped one clawed fingernail against her cheek, looking up at the sky as if in thought. Then she told him, "It's been so long that I might've forgotten the answer. I know that, at one point, my name _was_ Janni. It probably still is." She then placed both hands behind her and leaned forward, still grinning. "Who might _you_ be? Is your name Janni, too?"

Link took a moment to look her up and down again. Besides the claws, she did not look like she was carrying a weapon. Link withdrew his hand from the sword's hilt, but he stood up straight with the shield still raised in case he was wrong about her being dangerous. "Link," he answered. "Captain Link of the _Island Symphony_."

Her mouth formed a ring. "Oooooh," she droned. "A captain? Of those new creatures?"

"Yes," Link said in a terse voice.

He watched her float down to the step he stood on. Then he had to check to see if she actually _was_ floating. In the meantime, she raised one hand over his head to measure his height. "A _little_ young, aren't you?" she asked. "To be a captain?"

Link raised a scowl to meet her eyes. "A lot of captains tend to be at first," he replied.

She backed away. "Ah, I see. Then you simply _grow_ … into the position." She held her hand above her own head.

"How can you see me?" he asked. "I've been wandering around for a while, and you're the only one who's talked to me. My own _crew_ barely noticed."

She placed her hands behind her back again and giggled. "Ooh, that's a fun question. Let's save that for later."

Link found himself a little stunned at Janni's playful attitude. "Uh… o-okay?" he replied. Then he indicated the surrounding buildings. "Where am I? What is this place?"

"Obeeta."

"Obeeta?" Link asked, making sure of what he had heard. The answer was without context. Was it the settlement? The island?

Janni seemed to pick up on this because she elaborated, "The name of the island is Obeeta. Unless you wanna name it something else."

Obeeta. It sounded like a Sorian word, and it would make sense. He would have to remember to ask Irleen about it. In fact, he tried to dedicate the decision to memory by remarking, "Sounds like a Sorian name."

"Sorian?" Janni asked, her face changing to a mildly surprised look. "You mean the Rito? You know about them?"

"Yeah, I guess," Link replied with a nod. "One of my close friends is a Sorian. She's the one who helped us find this place."

Janni faded out of sight. Then Link leaned backwards when she came back into existence just a hair's breadth away from his nose, poised as if she were leaning forward while balancing on one foot. "Well. Isn't." She pressed closer. "That." And closer, forcing Link to take a step back. "Interesting." She came close to pressing her forehead against his, and he bumped into the wall behind him. Then Janni backed away and settled onto the ground, standing straight up. "Is she with you? I'd _love_ to meet her."

For a moment, Link thought that her inflection on the word "love" sounded strange. He told her, "She isn't. She's back on the ship, probably sleeping."

Janni turned so she had to look at him out of the corner of her right eye, her face turned upward to the sky. "Ooh, you don't wanna do that. Not now."

Link glanced out toward his left, where the descending steps and lower buildings allowed him a vague look at nearby rooftops. "I noticed," he told her. He listened to a couple of screams in the distance. Then he turned back to Janni. "What's going on? My crew has been having nightmares and bouts of insomnia for the past two days. Is there something here causing it?"

Janni, turning her head to Link, took a step up. "Mm. Yeah, I suppose you could say that. Although it's really the _loss_ of good dreams that it causes; the nightmares are just a side effect."

Link tightened his grip on the shield. He could not believe that there actually _was_ something disturbing his crew. He put on a hard glare as he asked, "What's causing it?"

"The night."

Link blinked in confusion. He was not expecting that answer, especially since it hardly answered a thing. "The… the _night_. Just the _night_ causes all this?"

Janni shook her head and clicked her tongue. "No, no. If _that_ were so, do you think _any_ of you would survive?"

"I _still_ don't get it."

Janni giggled at him. "It is a creature that feasts on good dreams as if there's no end to them. The Obeetans, the people who wander the streets, couldn't come up with a name for something they never saw coming, never learned how to fight. For lack of a better term, they simply titled it 'The Night'." She tilted her upper body to one side with a small grin on her face. "It's all really fascinating, really. How many creatures have you heard of that can feast on something so… personal?"

Link could feel his heart beating harder. He could not believe that just hearing Janni explain The Night was causing his anxiety, although he had to admit that her gleeful tone and her general appearance probably added to the hole slowly deepening in his stomach. "Not many," he conceded.

Janni shrugged as she said, "Weeell, I imagine you'd've never heard of this one if you'd taken a lesson from the natives. The Obeetans discovered a long time ago that The Night prefers the night. If you sleep during the day, it won't bother you. But night is the time it _loves_ to go out and feast." She held up a finger and spun it in a horizontal circle. "And you and your crew just served yourselves up as the main course. Can't you just imagine The Night licking its chops as it stares into your most fantastic dreams?"

Link tried to suppress the shiver trying to climb his spine. "I'd prefer not. _But_. Clearly, there's a way to avoid it."

"One or two," Janni conceded with a side nod. Then she pointed at him. "It looks like you found _both_."

Link glanced down at the shield he was still holding up. He took in a deep breath and lowered it. "What about you? You don't look like any of them. You can _clearly_ see me; you're _talking_ to me."

"That's because you and I are connected."

"How?"

Instead of answering, Janni held both hands out before her. When she brought her hands together as if to receive a pair of handcuffs, Link saw a pair of thick manacles fade into existence around her wrists. With the way she angled her hands up and to one side for Link to see, he caught a feature on the manacle on her right wrist near the chain.

A circle with a round oblong cupping the bottom half.

Link raised the shield to look at the symbol on the back side again. "Are you a prisoner of the shield?"

"For centuries." She let her arms drop to her sides, the manacles disappearing as if they had never existed to begin with.

"Haven't you ever tried to escape?"

"Where would I go?" Janni held her arms wide, and Link could swear that they lengthened a bit. "The Night encompasses the whole island. Anyone foolish enough to sleep when The Night comes out to play slowly begins to lose their sanity. I've seen Obeetans friends with each other one moment, and then turn on each other the next." She floated up again and descended down to Link's step, one hand pointing to where a human would have a temple. "You grow paranoid, not knowing if you're awake in a dream or sleeping in reality. And after a year, you start thinking aloud to yourself. I've heard some of the most interesting thoughts." She crossed her arms together at her elbows and entwined her fingers. "Twisted. Askew." Then she jumped away from the stairs. Link's first instinct was that she was about to fall and began to reach for her. However, she simply forgot to fall, instead floating in mid-air on her side as if she were lying on a couch. She sported a grin at Link's reaction while Link just retracted his hand. "I find it relaxing. And then, one day—you never know _when_ —you find yourself praying for an end. And most people find it the next day. So, to answer your question, Captain Link of the _Island Symphony_ , no. I've never tried to escape."

"But… if you're dreaming like me—" Link began.

"Ah… hahahahahahahahah!" Janni became boisterous with laughter, causing Link to jump. She righted herself in the air and held her stomach as she laughed for a few moments longer. When she calmed down, she had a satisfied smirk on her face. "You think you're dreaming? I assure you you're wide awake, probably as awake as you'll ever be. You see, things on Obeeta change when you sleep with the shield. When you sleep with _me_." Link gulped, and Janni just grinned wider. "Oh, I'm sorry, Captain Link of the _Island Symphony_. Was that too much for you?"

Link shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Does…" he started, trying to find another topic. "Does The Night know about you?"

For a moment, Janni looked genuinely stunned: smile gone, mouth agape in the slightest, and eyes wide. Then she glanced off to one side. "It knows," she answered without her previous mirth. "It just doesn't _care_."

Link was mystified by her reaction. He was not sure how to interpret it. So he switched subjects again. "What if we leave? Will it let us go?"

When Janni looked back at him, she appeared more disinterested. "The Night controls everything around here, asleep _or_ awake," she told him. "You saw what it did when it shoved your ship away. That was just it tasting you. It won't just let prey _sail_ away; some of the Obeetans found that out the _hard_ way. It's been here for longer than I have. And thanks to you and your crew, it has new feed. So, if you wanna leave, you'll have to deal with The Night first."

"How do I do that?"

She paused, and her face molded into an angry glare. "That's something you'll have to figure out on your own."

Janni then faded out of existence, the look on her face lingering in Link's vision for just a little longer.


	19. Depths of Death

Chapter 19: Depths of Death

…

Link brushed aside his meeting with Janni to focus on returning to his original intentions. So he jumped onto a nearby roof by virtue of the feather in his pocket to look around. From where he stood, the _Island Symphony_ tried its best to be a small star on the edge of the island. Given that he was no longer standing between it and the tower in the center, he had come to quite a distance from his destination. To bypass some time since he did not know how much longer he might be able to travel like this, he hopped across rooftops toward the main street that he and his crew had been exploring. This shortened his search considerably; he was back along the main street in only moments, a much briefer time than if he had tried retracing his path on the ground.

He located the hole in the street where Line and Cale had made the initial discovery. As he observed from atop one corner of a nearby building, he saw that a mysterious fluid still filled the hole. It was not black, though. Its surface reminded Link of drops of oil in a glass of water; sickly-green bubbles sloshed about without breaking or popping. What had looked like solid black when he was awake now looked more like a dark shade that just barely allowed him to see the cave underneath the street. Some of the locals continued to stop and scream near the hole, and Link could see the surface vibrate with every scream like a person blowing over the top of a drink.

The settlers were not as thick in this area as before. Once the intersection was clear, Link dropped down to the street and approached the hole. He was cautious, now knowing that he was probably dealing with a living creature. He drew his sword and gently pushed the blade into the liquid's surface. The liquid did not resist. In fact, the liquid acted like Link's sword did not exist even as he moved the blade left and right to disrupt the surface. He tried to divide one of the green bubbles, but the bubble did not react. He withdrew the blade and examined it only to find it perfectly clean. After touching a finger to the tip just to be sure, he replaced the sword. Then he lowered himself to his knees. His reach was hesitant, but he decided that it could not harm him if he put one gloved hand in, even if the glove did not have fingertips. He felt no difference as his fingers pierced the surface. Even as he waved his hand around, nothing changed. He tried to scoop up some of the liquid only to find that it simply slipped through his fingers. Then he tried it again once he realized that his hand was not even containing the liquid. Instead, the liquid passed through his hand as if his hand was not real. He stared at the surface, wishing he had a bottle to test the liquid more.

Then a hand shoved him from behind.

"WAAAH!" Link tipped into the hole, through the liquid, and— _whumpf!_ —landed hard on his stomach. He lay still for a moment as he tried to catch in all the breath that the fall had knocked out of him. Then he started pushing himself up, groaning as the pain worked across the front of his body.

"You should watch that first step, Captain," a nearby girl's voice told him. "I would _love_ to see you survive a little longer than that."

Link placed his knees underneath him and looked up to find Janni hovering just overhead, her massive grin made spookier by the shadows under the liquid blackening her skin. Link switched from surprised to exhausted as he stood and dusted himself off. "I thought you didn't wanna come along," he told her.

"Do I _look_ like someone who doesn't change her mind a lot?" she answered, crossing her arms.

"So you're gonna help me then?"

" _Pfft!_ " was her immediate response. "Hardly. I'm more interested in seeing how far you go with this. Don't put much thought into it, Captain; I'm just bored."

"Just an observer, huh? I'd think _you'd_ be interested in finding out how to get out of this _shield_." For emphasis, he patted the edge of the shield on his arm.

Janni gave an indifferent shrug. "Not really."

Link sighed and shook his head. Then he pointed down the tunnel behind her. "Know what's down here?"

Janni glanced over her shoulder, her expression just a vague shade of intrigue among boredom. "The old library."

"The Sorians' lost library," Link explained. "My friend can find a way to change herself back into a Sorian, but that… that _black_ thing down there concerns me."

"Yeah, I imagine it would."

"What is it?"

Janni let her arms fall to her sides and allowed her head to loll onto her left shoulder. "Oh, boy. With all I told you earlier, you _still_ don't know what that is?"

Link gave a pause as he went through their previous discussion. Finding no other explanation, he replied, "The Night? Is that what The Night looks like?"

Janni nodded and floated down to the ground. She started to strut back and forth in front of Link as she told him, "I watched the Obeetans bury this tunnel, and they had good reason. The Night likes to sleep during the day. You're lucky you and your friend didn't wake it throwing things at it."

"You _saw_ that?"

"Oh, _please_ ," Janni replied with a flat look. Then she smiled at him. "There isn't anything new going on around here that I don't see. I saw your ship dock. I saw your friends fall through that hole." She pointed up. Then she put her hands behind her back. "And I saw you bump into The Night _three_ times. You have a reason to be paranoid, Captain. If you woke The Night, you wouldn't have survived."

"What would it have done?"

Janni paused so that her smile had a moment to unnerve Link. Then she said, "I don't know. But if you _did_ survive a close-up with The Night, you wouldn't come back right."

"You mean like _them_?" Link asked, pointing up.

Janni shook her head. "Let's just say that if you _didn't_ kill yourself afterwards, your _crew_ would have to."

Link felt a shiver rattle his spine, and he tried to steel his features. "What about when The Night's awake?" he asked.

"Well, you've seen the Obeetans," Janni said. "You've seen them scream whenever they come near this hole. That was a funny idea, by the way. Up until you and your crew blew open the tunnel, all I had to listen to was their nonsensical ranting to themselves. The blast was pretty impressive, too."

Link glared at her, mostly to keep in the surprise at how nonchalant and even gleeful she was at what he perceived to be seriously horrific ideas. "Why do they scream like that?"

"This stuff you're standing in is The Night's miasma. What falls in doesn't come out until morning." Her smile became wider. "And what comes out is ten times as horrible."

"That's _enough_ ," he snapped at her, pointing a finger at her. "I get it that this place is bad, but I don't need _you_ reminding me every five minutes. You can either help me or go away."

"Oh?" Janni replied, her face a gleeful mask of intrigue. "And what do you think you can do to stop me? What do you think you can do to stop The _Night_? You think you're _safe_ just because you're wandering around in this living dreamscape?" She stepped to one side of the tunnel, crossed her arms again, and leaned against the wall. "You're in The Night's miasma. Even if it didn't care that you're wandering around in its dreamscape, you've ensured that it will find you _now_."

Link indicated the tunnel toward the library as he argued, "It isn't even _coming_ for me!"

Janni's smile turned smug. "That should worry you more." Link glanced down the tunnel again. And he realized that, if she was right about what The Night did while it was awake as well as not being able to hide from it using the shield's effect, he should have seen The Night do something by now. He turned pale, eliciting a giggle from Janni. "Is it really so bad of me to remind you of the kind of nightmare you're about to walk into?" she taunted.

Link clenched the fist of his free hand. "I have to do _something_ ," he told her.

"I can't tell whether you're brave or stupid," she said as Link started down the tunnel. "Not that I think there's much of a difference."

Link rolled his eyes and continued down the tunnel, the path dark but with his destination made clear by the glow of the second hole in the street above. He hoped that Janni would not follow him.

Then a bolt of green flashed past his face. At first, he thought Irleen had caught up with him. But when the fairy stopped, it was immediately apparent that it was _not_ Irleen. Tricking the way light was supposed to work, this fairy was pitch-black at its core and still emitted a green glow from its body.

"You weren't planning on leaving me behind, were you?"

Link's surprise quickly changed into annoyance. "Janni?" he asked the fairy.

"Surprised?"

"Up until you said something."

"Mmm, yeah, that's what I thought, too. It's hard to tell; it's dark."

"It's a tunnel."

"I was talking about your sense of humor."

Link opened and closed his mouth for a moment, unable to fully construct a comeback. Then he shouted, "Do you even _listen_ to what you say?!"

"Not really. I think I'm a little boring."

Link finally gave in with a frustrated groan. "Jus—… If all you're gonna do is clown around, just leave me alone." He stepped aside and walked past her.

She reappeared in the corner of his left eye. "You can't stop me, Link," she told him. "Besides, this is something I'd _love_ to see. It's been a while since someone was deluded enough to go start a fight with The Night."

"I'm _not_ deluded," he told her, shooting her an angry glare. "I have a _crew_ I'm responsible for."

"You think the Obeetans didn't? Many of them were a _lot_ older than you before they turned into nothings. What have _you_ got that they _didn't_?"

Link did not answer. He did not want to admit that he had no clue as to his actions once he confronted The Night at the bottom of the library. He acted like he was rolling some fatigue out of his right shoulder, trying to distract himself from the fact that he had no solid plan. He wanted to believe that he could at least look at the situation, this having been his method on a number of dangerous adventures before coming to Obeeta. Besides, if Janni was right, he was already doomed. He might as well have a better look at The Night.

He took one last look at the half-moon hanging above the second hole in the ground before moving into the library. So far, the library looked just as he had seen it two days ago. However, the marbles of light traveling along the wooden surfaces appeared green instead of yellow, and shadows were much darker once nearby illumination moved away. Link took that to be The Night's almost invisible miasma. He began to wonder if it did little more than add an ugly tint to everything.

"Yeah, this is about how I remember it," Janni commented as she fluttered to one of the nearby shelves. "So, what will be your _pleasure_ today, Link? _Fifty Lessons of a Fish Monger_? Or _The Bloody Wrath of a Nightmare Weaver_?"

Link stopped and looked back at her over his shoulder. "You made that second one up," he accused her.

"Do _you_ read Sorian?" Janni asked with a hint of challenge in her voice.

Link turned fully around to her. "You _do_?"

"Well, I'm a little rusty," she admitted. "It _has been_ a while." She fluttered back to Link's side. "But you're right; I _was_ making that second one up."

Link turned back around and walked to the railing at the edge of the floor. He looked down into the atrium to see that something had changed. To the left, hidden by the floor above it, should have been The Night's body with a shadow directly in front of it. However, that shadow was gone, having been replaced with flickering light the same as that around him, down to the green hue of this strange place.

Link frowned and said to himself, "That doesn't look right."

"I think you'll find consistency a little _lacking_ in this place," Janni told him, hovering circles above his head. "That's what makes it _fun_."

He cast an irritated look up at her. "You and I need to figure out a definition for 'fun'." He pushed away from the rail and started toward the stairs on the right side.

"How's this, then?" Janni asked as she trailed him. "The Night doesn't like to do the same thing twice. You can probably imagine this being a little hard, but, with your crew around, it's opened up a whole new game of 'Add to the Obeetan Population' just for you. _So_. What you see down there won't be permanent. To an extent, it won't even be _real_. But who am I to judge? This is all I ever see of the world."

"I'll tell you what I see, then," Link said as he carefully began to descend the large steps. "That side of the last floor is supposed to be almost pitch-black. There's a mass of black right where that doorway is down there, and now it's gone. If this island's library is anything like what the Sorians had on Forelight Island, then that doorway should lead to the technoworks beneath the island. If I can gain access to it, I can change the Sky Lines, and we should be able to leave."

"Okay," Janni said. "That sounds like a plan. But if that's The Night there, do you think it will just let you _waltz_ right in?"

"I have to do _something_." Then, about part-way down the fourth floor, Link stopped with a start. He patted himself down as he realized something. "Oh, man…"

"What?" Janni asked.

"I forgot the harmonica," Link groaned. He glanced up the stairs. "I wonder if I have time to go get it…"

"The Night isn't gonna be awake by the time you return from your ship," Janni warned him. "Even with those fancy boots of yours."

Link let out a sigh and glanced down at the stairs. "Yeah, maybe you're right," he admitted. "Besides, I can't use it without Irleen." He shrugged and continued down the stairs. "When The Night sleeps, what does it look like to you?"

"From my perspective, it's almost like The Night doesn't exist. What's it supposed to look like while it sleeps in the daylight? Even if it can control things in its sleep, it isn't as if it can show its dreams to us."

Link paused on the landing on the fifth floor and looked up at her. "You mean The Night is completely _gone_ when it goes to sleep?"

"Sure, in _this_ dreamscape," Janni said as she started to move past him. Then she stopped right in front of him. "But then, even _I_ sleep during the day. It's pretty boring otherwise, at least until _you_ came along. Now I just treat myself to a little insomnia and follow along."

Link pointed out toward the atrium. "Have you ever had a look at what's down there while The Night's sleeping?"

"Why? It's not like anyone went down there."

Link's reaction fell somewhere between annoyed and defeated as he mumbled, "Right…" He continued down the stairs, now following Janni.

Once Link was past the level just above the bottom, he hunched low so that he could see the black void on the opposite side before he set foot on the floor. He discovered that, to an extent, Janni was right; what he saw did not _seem_ real. The black mass was gone. In its place looked like two rows of bookshelves crammed on either side of a narrow corridor. Not that Link had a good view from the stairs. He decided that, for the time being, it was safe enough to approach. He watched the lights on the wall as he did so. They remained in sight even after passing the point where the void would have blacked them out, although this meant that they were only following furrows on the other side just barely beyond where The Night should have been. As he came closer, he found that the bookshelves did not look like wood. The material was black and decrepit like it had been burned. The floor looked brighter than the library outside. Spots of light illuminated the corridor from recesses in the ceiling, which Link could not see until he was about a second away from stepping past The Night's edge.

Once he looked down to get a better view of the corridor now that he was close, he froze. The luminous material on the ground turned out to be broken and uneven.

And bone.

From the edge of the corridor to as far as Link could see, the floor was littered with so many bones that there was no telling what was underneath. The floor sported a variety: limb bones, ribs, pelvises, and even skulls. The skulls gave Link the impression of human remains, and the thought that so many people had died down here made his whole body grow cold.

"Hmmm…" Janni hummed as she floated past Link. "Brilliant. Daunting." She turned to Link. "Morbid. The Night's style, naturally."

"Is this why no one came down here anymore?" Link asked.

"Hardly," Janni said. "At best, there's probably a skeleton or two down here. The rest of this is just The Night's imagination. It's been a while since I'd seen a bone-riddled floor. I like the yellowish color with the red flecks of dried flesh. Really sets the mood, don't you think?"

Link slowly drew his sword. "Is there anything in here that can hurt me?"

"Well, this is a dream, and you're a dream. So… hm. I don't know."

Link started forward as he said, "I think I'll keep this out just to be safe."

"You any good with that?"

Link allowed a half-grin as he began to say, "You won't—"

"EEEEEEEEEEEK!"

Link jumped in surprise, scattering bones into a clattering frenzy and crunching down on them again. He immediately spun around with the shield raised. "What!? What!?" he demanded.

"Look at these _books_!" Janni cried out. "They're so _perfect_! The best pun on human anatomy I've seen in a long time!"

She was hovering in front of a bookshelf near the entrance. It had escaped Link's notice after he had stepped inside, but now that Janni had called attention to it, he saw that the books on the shelves were not simply books. Their spines were composed of actual vertebrae, something he should have realized since there were no backbones on the floor. He heaved an exhausted sigh and told her, "Could you avoid screaming like that?"

Janni giggled as she turned to him. "Wow, Link. You really _are_ out of your element, aren't you?"

"You _aren't_ helping."

"I never said I would."

Link turned back around and continued down the corridor with Janni trailing along. He had to admit that he began to feel a bit of relief, especially since Janni had already told him that, maybe barring a skeleton or two, the rest of this place was just an illusion. He wished he knew how to break through it; he needed to know if this was a part of the island's technoworks or not.

The corridor finally opened into a massive room. The bookshelves were gone, but the bones on the floor remained. Some of them were embedded into the walls and ceiling around them, looking as if the entire structure had been built on people's unused skeletons. Someone had piled skulls in the middle of the floor. Against the opposite wall from the corridor's opening was a platform. Link swallowed hard as he realized that the platform, built of arm and leg bones strapped together, bore a hangman's noose on a single arm.

"Hmm…" Janni said as Link slowly started around the skulls. "I'm not sure about this. I mean, you can only push bones so far before it gets absurd."

"You think this is _absurd_?" Link asked, indicating the gallows with his sword. But when he looked over his shoulder at her, he saw that she was observing something else. So he followed her direction down at the nearby pile. He backed away a step when he saw that the skulls were not human. Even worse, they were moving.

Skulls began to rise in the air, each one showing off bestial features. A few looked like they had a muzzle, similar to a dog. Others were wide and triangular, like a reptile's head. One easily doubled Link's own head in size with a square jaw that looked like it could bite through a yardarm.

"Oooooh," Janni droned. "They're supposed to be _Bubbles_! So that's why they looked so bizarre."

"Why the hell is this _fun_ for you?!" Link snapped at her.

Then he watched as each Bubble took on a blue flame, causing their forms to brighten even further. As if on cue, the room around them turned dim so that Link could only see with the Bubbles' ghostly lights.

Link only feared them at first. Then he took on a determined glare. These were not the first bones to attack him. These were not even the first mangled and deformed skulls he had seen before. Memories of fighting Cunimincus' Stalarmors served to remind him that he had seen bigger threats than this. Full skeletons clad in armor and blades had been some of the worst things to ever attack him. His sword would have no problem breaking bare bone.

So when the first Bubble, a canine-like skull with massive fangs, charged in for a bite, Link twisted into a horizontal swing that smashed the skull aside. Its light abated as it bounced off the floor. The next one, a triangular skull, decided to rush in while Link left his shoulder exposed. Link easily spotted its attack and, angling downward a bit, returned with a diagonal backswing that sent the skull, its jaw bone broken where the sword hit, spinning toward the opposite side of the room.

Two skulls gone, the rest of the Bubbles decided that an all-out attack was the best response. They had an advantage; Link was backing against the wall, the Bubbles had him surrounded, and he could not swing fast enough to defeat them all.

Link lacked any sort of anxiety as part of Layna's training showed him an opening. He kicked against the ground, against the solid structure underneath the loose bones. He tumbled forward and allowed his left shoulder to hit the floor. He rolled head over heels. He also flipped himself and ground the balls of his feet against the loose bone, using his momentum to rise once more. The nearest Bubble could not turn in time, so Link pressed forward and struck it with a horizontal swing. The Bubble rammed its forehead into another, sending them both spinning into the floor with a clatter.

He did not see another canine-like Bubble approaching from his left. It had its jaw nearly closed on Link's exposed left arm before Link noticed.

Then Link felt jagged teeth clamp down on his forearm. Link gave a simple cry. Then he watched his arm fall limp to his side, the sword slipping his grip. The flame was gone from its body, but Link could see the lingering flickers binding his arm up to his shoulder.

"Janni!" Link shouted as he watched another Bubble, the large skull, approach from his left. "Janni! I can't move my arm!"

"Bubbles are cursed!" Janni had to holler back as Link brought his right arm around in a hook and smashed the shield's edge into the Bubble's thick jaw. The Bubble wandered away, flexing its jaw as it tried to fit it back into place. Link caught movement in the corner of his right eye and swung his unaffected arm again to bash a smaller Bubble square in the face. "Don't let them bite your neck; you'll be completely paralyzed!"

"Great…" Link groaned before jumping backwards. The feather in his pocket allowed him to clear the pile while putting distance between him and the other Bubbles. It was not his best move; with one arm paralyzed, he stumbled on his landing and crashed into the floor on his back. Instead of recovering, though, he rolled onto the paralyzed arm to pin the Bubble against the floor. Then he brought up the shield and smashed the bottom point through the skull's eye socket. The Bubble crumbled, and Link found his arm could move again.

That was his cue to scramble to his feet. He barely had enough time to notice the Bubbles closing on him again, and he had left his sword in an inconvenient location. So he reached behind his back and flipped open the pouch on his belt. He clasped the device inside by the metal elbow, sure to press down hard on the red jewel as soon as it was free. A pair of battered, wooden blades that had once been painted bright yellow sprang open into a right angle. Once Link had the boomerang in front of him, he lofted it a little to catch one of the blades. Then he swung with the metal cap leading the blow, smacking a triangular Bubble directly into the nearby ground. He used a backswing to catch the next closest Bubble in the temple and send it bouncing into a nearby corner. His eyes caught sight of the large Bubble approaching again, so he adjusted his hold and reared back. Then he flung the boomerang as hard as he could, using his hooked finger to impart a last-minute spin. The boomerang punched the large Bubble in the eye, breaking the skull and knocking it into the floor with the boomerang still embedded in it.

Link then used the moment to glance around the room. A couple of Bubbles clopped around on the floor, trying to move about. None remained in the air, and Link took the time to quickly round the pile in the middle and retrieve his sword.

"Well," he breathed as he picked up his sword. "That was close."

 _BAAAAAM!_ The pile of skulls behind Link erupted into the air. He spun with the shield raised, which saved one tumbling skull from headbutting him from above.

The room was filled with a new light as Link then looked up to see a Bubble tower over him. It looked as large as any adult he had seen, and the fact that it hovered over the ground did not abate his amazement. It shone with an orange flame, outlining the horns adorning the sides of its head. It sported two jaws: one on the outside that looked to be normal human teeth, and one on the inside with sharp teeth that it liked to snap open and closed as it leered down at him. Link could not believe something so large could convincingly hide in that small pile.

"Huh," Janni said in a flat voice as she watched over Link's shoulder. "Apparently wasn't close enough."

The massive Bubble finally snapped its outer jaw shut at Link as a demonstration of what kind of bite it had. Then it charged at him with its maw open for a crunch of Link. Link's boots kicked in their speed, and Link dashed out of the way as the Bubble's chin ground into the floor where he had been standing. The room gave a great lurch when the Bubble face-planted the wall, and Link's footing faltered, causing him to tumble into the ground. He saved himself with a roll and rose to a knee, the same way Layna had taught him to recover from such a fall. He looked over one shoulder as the Bubble pulled away from the wall, shaking its head to rid itself of the shock of impact. Link jumped to his feet and spun on the Bubble. The Bubble, however, did not charge immediately. Instead, it stared at him as it slowly drifted back toward the center of the room.

This gave Link an opportunity to see into the Bubble's nose. It was not an entertaining sight, but he could see that there was something on the inside of its head, reflecting its cursed flames off a shining surface. He thought that, if he could hit it, it might yield an advantage. But the Bubble's size made it hard for him to reach it from the ground, and jumping would only lead to Link landing in the creature's mouth if it wanted to catch him that way. So he sheathed the sword.

Then he touched both of his thumbs to the sides of his head (careful not to hurt himself with the shield) with his palms facing toward the Bubble and wiggled his fingers as he blew a raspberry at it. The Bubble's jaw dropped open, dumbfounded by the fact that Link was mocking it. Then it charged him. Link dashed to one side again, this time angling himself a little more toward the Bubble. In a move that surprised Link, it managed to turn as if to follow. Then one of its horns hit the wall, and it staggered and lolled about in front of the room's only entrance as it tried to fight through the shock. Link moved closer to the gallows and located the last Bubble he had taken out with the boomerang. He kicked the Bubble's broken face aside and retrieved the boomerang that was lying underneath.

 _KRRRRRRRR!_ Link looked toward the massive Bubble just in time to see its jaw raking through the bone-covered floor as it charged him again. He sprang forward in whatever direction he was facing and dove beside the gallows. There was a loud snap as the Bubble's jaw broke apart the support on the opposite side from Link. Then the room shuddered when the Bubble's horn impeded its progress yet again. Link took the opportunity to rise and dash for the entrance. He halted just outside the door, spinning to face down the Bubble. The Bubble had to back away from the wall before it could turn to confront him.

What it found was Link halfway through his swing. The boomerang sailed with an angry spin straight for the Bubble, leaving the Bubble with only a second to react.

Then the boomerang flew through its nostril. A resounding crack filled the room. Then the Bubble writhed where it floated, its face looking up and shivering as if it was trying to snort back a booger. It turned away from Link, drifting just a little closer to the gallows. Link decided that he needed to land a solid blow on this creature and charged at it from behind. His boots allowed him to pick up momentum in a short run, and he leapt into the air with the shield raised. He had intentionally jumped while he was close so that the upward drive would impart more force. The shield struck the back of the Bubble's head, causing it to lurch forward and bash against the wall, crushing the gallows. The rebound sent Link sprawling, and he landed hard on his back, made to feel much worse since he landed on a protruding rib. He writhed for a moment before sitting up. He watched as the Bubble turned back to him, its face so broken that it looked to have given him a final expression of sorrow before it collapsed into small fragments.

"Aaaa—Ow…" Link's attempt to lie on the floor was halted by the rib jabbing his back again, and he rolled to avoid it. Then he decided to stand up again and survey the room. "Anyone else?" he asked aloud.

"I gotta say," Janni said as she floated down from the ceiling, "that was actually kind of impressive."

"I try," Link told her as he dusted himself off.

"I can tell. Too bad you weren't a little slower; you'd probably be rended into a spectacular mess."

Link glared at her. "'Too bad'?"

"A girl can wish, can't she?"

Link sighed and glanced over at the remains of the gallows. He noticed that there was a doorway behind the broken structure. "Any idea what's down there?" he asked, pointing.

"It's gotta be better than this," Janni told him. "The further you go down, the closer you are to The Night's core. You're probably tempting fate just _suggesting_ it."

"I think I can do more than just _tempt_ fate," he replied as he started toward the doorway.


	20. Slayer Spirit, Thanatophilic Relic

Chapter 20: Slayer Spirit, Thanatophilic Relic

…

After Link had retrieved his boomerang, he discovered that he was just small enough to fit through the doorway behind the demolished scaffold. The other side was a particularly gruesomely-designed hallway: pink muscle stretched over bone. Link could tell the layer underneath was bone because The Night had decided that there needed to be gaps in between the bundles of muscle decorating the walls. The bones were layered with another row underneath, all of them looking to be the longer bones of the body, to ensure that Link could not see if he was actually in the technoworks. The gushing sound as he walked the hallway made him glad he was wearing boots. He emerged into a small room with perhaps the one thing he had hoped to find: a ladder. It was a sign that this area was at least meant to be reached. Although, he had to admit that finding a ladder made of burnt wood (but sturdy nonetheless) instead of metal piping left him still doubting.

He noticed that the room below was darker as he climbed down. The walls blended into each other with a dark blue color, making it impossible to tell how far away they were. One glance down at the floor showed him a shimmering surface on top of black.

Then he splashed down in liquid. The sound alerted him to a layer of water covering the floor around him. He looked around with one hand still on the ladder.

"Huh," he commented in a casual tone. "This is like a dream I had before."

"You don't say," Janni replied as she circled his head from above, her tone indicating a lack of interest.

"Yeah," Link said as he stepped away from the ladder. "I think it was a dream I had when we first got here."

"You don't say," Janni said in the same tone.

Link looked up at her. "Can The Night recreate nightmares like that?"

"Eeh… I don't wanna say," Janni replied before she started giggling.

"Yeah, _you're_ a lotta help…" Link told her as he looked around.

"Not trying to be."

"Wait a minute." Link suddenly felt a chill as his eyes passed over everything they could. "Where'd the ladder go?"

"Ladder?" Janni asked. She started looking around as well. "Oh. Well, that's a cool trick."

Link reached around his back. "Okay, this isn't funny anymore," he said as he pulled out his boomerang.

"Eh. I'm feeling pretty amused myself." Just to prove the point, she giggled again.

"We're underground," Link told her as he opened the boomerang. "The walls are around here somewhere." He then switched his hold on the boomerang and threw it toward where he was sure the ladder should have still been. He threw it as straight as he could.

The boomerang flew…

And flew…

And flew…

 _Spash._

Link's face managed to pale in the low light offered by the blue glow around them. He could not believe the distance the boomerang had flown. Even if he had not hit the ladder, he should have surely hit the wall. No room in the technoworks he had seen before was large enough for him to do that.

Janni's reaction was markedly different. "AH-HAHAHAHAHAH! AAAAAAH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Her sudden burst of laughter caused Link to jump. He found her in the air nearby and stared hard at her. When she settled down, she said with an air of exhaustion, "Oh, don't look at me like that. I know in reality that would've worked." She chuckled as she added, "It just made your failure that much funnier."

Link glanced toward where the boomerang had disappeared. "Maybe, but at least I know I can go _that_ way without running into a wall," he told her, pointing.

"Really?" Janni asked in a challenging tone. "You can see your boomerang?"

Link glanced across the room toward his boomerang.

He started when he saw bodies lying all over the floor, half-submerged in the water at his feet. Just like in his dream, they were face-down. Some of them wore the yellow jackets of Airliner airmen, and a few were Sorians, revealed by their feathered arms and heads.

Link glared at the field of bodies, his right hand clenching the shield's strap hard. "It's not gonna make me feel guilty," he told Janni as he started walking.

"Guilty?" Janni asked with some intrigue in her voice.

"I've felt guilty over these men's deaths for two _stupid_ years," he said with venom now tingeing his voice. "I'm not gonna feel guilty just because it shows me their bodies in another dream."

"And yet, here we are," Janni told him. "You, wading through an invisible room full of fake bodies. Wanna talk about it?"

"I've talked about it until it's made me _sick_ ," Link told her. "No."

"Bet it's a good story."

"It isn't."

Janni gave an irate grunt and fluttered in front of Link to lead him. "So you expect me to assume that you're some kind of mass murderer feeling guilty about all these people?"

Link stopped. "How _dare_ you!?" he snapped at her. "You don't know _anything_ about me! How can _you_ judge _me_?!"

"Quite easily, actually," Janni replied, not at all perturbed by his outrage. "If it bothers you so much, then maybe you'd _explain_ why you feel guilty about these dead people."

Link could feel his fists shaking with rage. He continued to glare at Janni until the muscles in his face hurt. When he found he could not keep it up anymore, he relaxed his face with a sigh. "Two years ago…" he started. He felt a lump in his throat, and he paused to swallow it back. "Two years ago, I got shot out of the sky by another airship. I was trying to help out a Sorian airship that was being attacked at the time, and that airship was eventually shot out of the sky, too. The other Hylians… were shot down by an airship from the same company that I work for."

"And the rest of the bodies?"

Link took a moment to look around at the people dressed in plain clothing. "Some of them are probably people from Might Island; they were killed by Lizalfos that had invaded the technoworks. The others… people who were killed when the airship that shot me down attacked Autumn Island and Center Island." Link sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose. "When I first had this nightmare… it was only the airmen. Now it's showing me the islanders, too?"

"The Night knows what you fear," Janni said. "And it's gonna keep pushing that little button of pleasure until you've been milked dry."

Link shook his head. "I'm not afraid of them. And, like I said, I'm _sick_ of being guilty over them. At what point does The Night get the idea that I'm gonna be _afraid_ of them?"

"Oh, I'm guessing when it twists this old nightmare on you," Janni said as she looked around. "Which'll probably be about, uh… now?"

"Huh?"

Link looked around at the bodies. He had not realized that, while he had been talking to Janni, the bodies had slowly begun to glow. Now, a soft, gray light from each body shone against the water's broken surface.

He drew his sword and said, "Let me guess. Now all my guilt is gonna cause these bodies to rise and attack me, right?"

As he watched a nearby Sorian, however, he saw what looked like steam rising from the body. The steam thickened and formed a bubble over the body. A dark line crossed part of the face Link was looking at, and it opened into a single, yellow eye with a black iris. Another slit opened under the eye to reveal a smile. Then it opened its smile to reveal rows of pointed, misaligned teeth and a blue tongue which simply lolled out of its mouth.

"That would be a _no_ ," Janni pointed out as Link watched similar creatures rise up from the bodies around him.

"Thanks," Link replied in a snide tone.

"You're welcome!" Janni said with glee.

Link kept his eye on the closest one. But movement caught the corner of his eye. Another of these creatures was flying at him fast, and Link's best reaction was to twist. _PANG!_ The creature impacted the shield, sending Link staggering backwards and the creature careening into the ground with a splash. A screech alerted Link as he regained his footing, and he wheeled around to find two more charging at him. He only had a moment to spin out of the way, and, at the same time, he swung his sword in a wide, horizontal arc. As he came around to face the creatures again, he aimed for the closer one and struck the upper half of its back. The creature bounced off the floor and high into the air, releasing a hiccup-like giggle as it sailed away.

" _Ghini, Ghini, such a ninny…"_

"Gah!" Link cried out. He looked down to find that one creature, which had approached from behind, was now digging its sharp teeth into his left thigh. He swung the pommel of his sword down and struck it directly in the eye. The creature released in shock, and Link again bashed the pommel against the top of its head. The creature bounced up from the floor and collided with another. Link barely had time to watch where they disappeared to as he spun his head to watch his right side.

" _But still, a nasty foe…"_

He barely had time to deliver a good blow, so he opted to elbow yet another approaching creature. It backed away, but Link had to pull away as well as one more creature tried to clamp down on his exposed upper arm. He used his folded arm to strike out against the new creature, bashing the shield in its face.

" _Go on and bet…"_

Link finally leapt into the air when he realized that too many of the creatures were surrounding him. He traveled forward a bit, just enough to give him room to move despite almost landing on top of a Hylian body.

" _And don't regret…"_

The creatures, almost all of them gathered where he had been standing, turned and immediately started toward him. Link raised his sword, ready to start beating them back while he located more standing on either side. There were too many to count, but he guessed that there had to be at least thirty chasing him.

" _Just one can take a blow."_

Janni's poem as she hovered somewhere in the air above at first seemed like just another way to taunt Link. But once she chanted that last line, Link realized that there was something different about these creatures, these "Ghini", than what he had initially seen. Their eyes were just a shade brighter than their skin, but he remembered the first one he had watched forming had a yellow eye. He looked left and right only to find more white-eyed Ghini charging for him.

He dashed to the left and rammed his shield into one of the Ghini to send it flying away. He used a horizontal swing to knock another toward the large group that had nearly descended on him first. This scattered the group like marbles striking together. Even still, they continued to advance toward Link, and he ran toward another Ghini. The Ghini tried to open its mouth and bite down on Link's face as he approached, but Link instead ducked to one side and slid to a stop next to it. He wheeled around, smacking the Ghini with his blade. The Ghini screeched just before bowling into its companions, scattering the large group again. He took a moment to look for the yellow-eyed Ghini before turning to backhand another Ghini he knew would be approaching from behind.

Janni began to chant again, and Link found her hovering beyond the group not too far above the floor. Assuming that she might actually be hovering over the "one" she was chanting about, Link took a running start at the pack of Ghini. He did not know how thick the pack was, so when he jumped, he kept his upper body low. This resulted in his legs receiving more force with his jump, and he performed a flip as he rose from the ground. He had his legs stretched out to keep the flip from over-spinning him. As he came down, his feet led him. Unfortunately, he was not expecting to clear the Ghini only to land on top of one of the corpses. One foot landed on the Sorian corpse, and the corpse slid while his grounded foot failed to actually grip the floor under the water's surface. Link's fall was as spectacular as his jump: both legs high in the air. His back struck the floor hard, and his skull rang from the subsequent hit. He felt water lap around his face and body as his head swam with disorientation.

Janni cackled from nearby. As soon as Link was able to decipher his situation, he scrambled to his feet and turned to meet the Ghini pack again. He sluggishly drove his shield between the two closest Ghini, allowing the one on the right to clamp down on the shield's top edge. Link had to bat the other one away with his sword before using a short vertical strike to clock the Ghini on the shield. He held his sword level to his chest, about eye-level with the Ghini, and spun in place to knock away the Ghini that were coming around the first two. He stopped just as his sword clipped one Ghini, sending it sailing into the air, to now look at the situation. Most of the pack was scattered apart. Barring a handful that had gained some impressive distance, they were still close enough to turn back on Link and begin their advance again. Link used the time he had bought to spin and find Janni again. As he expected, Janni was singing as she danced above one Ghini who did not look to be interested in chasing him down. He rushed over to the Ghini with his sword raised to stab it in the eye.

He halted when he saw that this Ghini not only had the same eye as the others, but it seemed to lack any sort of attention as its single eye stared off into space with its tongue hanging out of its mouth.

Janni giggled as Link looked up at her. "You didn't really think I'd lead you to the weak one, did you?" she said in her gleeful voice. "This is too _hysterical_ to end so quickly!"

Link rushed to deliver a death glare coupled with bared teeth before spinning to deliver a diagonal downswing on an approaching Ghini. He used a backswing to knock away the next, and his follow-through smacked the brain-dead Ghini into the distance, causing Janni to give a disappointed moan. Then Link turned left and jumped to escape the pack bearing down on him once more.

There, on his left as he reached the height of his jump. Link barely had time to make out the Ghini's details, but he realized that there was one that hung toward the back of the pack not even looking at him.

Once Link was on the ground again, he turned in a direction just on the edge of the pack. He dashed in that direction, knowing that the Ghini would be on him the moment he stopped. So he held out his sword and mowed three or four nearby Ghini out of the pack. When he stopped, those Ghini continued moving in the same direction, taking out a pair of stragglers that had been in his way. From where he stood, he caught sight of the single Ghini that was not looking at him.

This Ghini turned around, and Link could see the darker contrast of its yellow eye against the collective glow from its nearby companions. The Ghini turned toward the open air on its left. But Link, utilizing his boots' speed boosting ability, was within striking distance in the next two seconds. He used a backhanded, horizontal swing and cut into the Ghini's eye. The Ghini had a brief moment to scream before it disappeared in a puff of smoke. Then Link spun, ready to take on the Ghini some more.

The Ghini had disappeared from the room. And, Link realized, the space he had been bounding around in had returned to being a room again. The water on the floor was lapping the blue walls surrounding him. He looked up to see a hole in the ceiling showing the brighter room above at the end of the ladder of burnt wood, which just happened to be within arm's reach. He could not believe that the ceiling had been there the whole time; for those times he had jumped, he should have smacked his head into it. The bodies were gone. Instead, Link found a dark doorway leading out of the room to his left.

Janni groaned as she lowered herself into his line of sight. "Well, it was fun while it lasted," she said.

Link, stumped, looked around the room. "That…" he started through his heavy breathing. "That doesn't make _sense_. This room was _gone_."

"Kinda like you were back in your dream, right?" Janni suggested.

"We—… well, yeah…"

"Need I say more?"

Link let out a sigh and dropped to one knee. He took a moment to bring his breathing under control. His heart, however, was not going to calm so easily. He did not realize what kind of things The Night could do in this space that it had claimed as its own. What kept it from simply taking the imaginary space from under his feet and letting him fall into the ground? Or force him to run into oblivion trying to chase something? Why were the Ghini so hard to hurt but easily defeated by striking just one?

"It's not taking me seriously," Link said aloud.

"You're a teenage airship captain lady's man expert swordsman perfect marksman monster killer," Janni said. "Can't say I'd take you seriously, either."

Link let out another sigh and looked up at her. "'Lady's man'?" he asked.

"You seem too nice to be called a 'womanizer'."

Link pushed himself to his feet. After a moment to let his arms hang almost lifelessly, he replaced his sword and turned toward the doorway. "Well, I don't see any light in the next room," he remarked dryly to Janni. "Am I now gonna relive all my nightmares of being stuffed in a cannon?"

"Hmmm…" Janni dropped into his vision again as she pondered the doorway. "I don't know. Sounds a little… unimaginative, especially after all this."

"Great," Link replied as he started forward. "I guess I should take it to heart; you seem to be able to _think_ like The Night."

"I've been here for a while," Janni said as she trailed after him. "It isn't hard."

Link was about to respond when he saw something in the water along his path. He moved over and picked up what he first thought was his boomerang. What he grabbed was a soft piece of wood full of holes. He looked down into the shallow pool and realized that the boomerang, despite not having struck anything but the floor when he threw it, had fallen apart.

"What the hell?" he asked as he bent over to retrieve the metal centerpiece. The steel frame was covered in a thick, rough layer of rust. The ruby, smashed to pieces inside its setting, had grown smoky and dull. Link turned it to look at the joints the arms had been attached to, causing fragments of the ruby to fall out. "How did _this_ happen?"

"You mean other than throwing it to find a wall?" Janni asked.

"I've thrown this at _plenty_ of walls. Even if it broke against one, it shouldn't have this much rust on it." He showed her the piece of wood in his other hand. "And this. This wood is rotten and eaten through. It's like this has been sitting here for _years_."

"Water ruins wood," Janni pointed out. "Metal rusts in water. What about this confuses you?"

" _Salt_ water," Link told her. "Metal rusts fast in _salt_ water. And there was no exposure to air. I've seen _that_ sort of rusting before."

"Why do you keep assuming that things in this place make _sense_?" Janni asked him, her tone switching to incredulous. "You just got done fighting a pack of Ghini in a room that wasn't a room."

"But why did it need to beat up my boomerang?" Link asked.

"Beat up? I'd say 'broke'. 'Rusted'. 'Aged'. Maybe even… 'killed'."

"'Killed'?" Link stared at her for a moment. Then he asked, "Is _that_ what it's going for? It actually _is_ trying to kill me?"

"I think it would've had a few more traps set to actually take you down if that was the case, Link," she said. "Think about this. Skulls and skeletons all over the place. Burnt and rotten wood. A gallows made of bone. A dream you had with people you know are dead. A room full of ghosts. A single weapon aged into uselessness and decrepitude. I think the theme here is 'death'."

"You make it sound like some… storybook," Link said, his disgust punctuated by dumping the pieces of his boomerang back into the water.

"If this was a storybook, it'd have a happier ending," Janni told him. "Beating a room full of Ghini would've actually made _sense_."

"Fine, this place _doesn't_ make sense," Link told her. He locked his determined glare on the dark doorway. "But I'm not through."

Link continued toward the door and entered into a short hallway made of bricks. He saw that the mortar in the walls had worn thin, and the bricks were crumbling apart just as he touched one corner. It reminded him of some of the older buildings he had seen back in Hyrule. Older… and decaying. He did not want to think about Janni calling death The Night's theme. Instead, he pressed on with his left hand ready to pull his sword at the first sign of danger.

He stepped into a larger room, although it was harder to see and more like a feeling to him. Somewhere in the hallway, the layer of water had disappeared. Link turned to be sure that the other room and the hallway were still there; everything else was covered in black.

Something rough made a grinding sound near his feet. Link looked down to see that whatever was moving had started at the bottom of the doorway. And it was rising. Link used a boot to prod at the doorway and discovered that there was something blocking him. He hunched low to place his hand on the obstruction as the grinding continued.

The grinding intensified. Link saw movement at the top of his vision. The light from the other room was being blocked out. "No no no no no…" he chanted as he rose again, his hands now pressing on a brick wall as it built itself over the doorway. He tried to head the bricks off by hopping up to put one hand through the top. Instead, the brick struck his fingertips and bent his fingers in an unusual way. "Ow!"

"Huh," Janni said. Link located her hovering in the air behind him. "Kinda dark."

Her remark seemed to be a cue. Within a second, about fifteen torches around the room lit into existence, startling Link. The torches, mounted to all four walls, revealed a room made of large, gray, granite blocks.

Also mounted on the walls were skeletons.

Spaced in between the torches rested skeletons chained in some way to the walls or the floor. Half of them were stretched out against the wall by their short manacles. Two were sitting on the floor because their necks had been collared lower on the wall. Two more were hanging from the wall by a single manacle. Three had fallen into a heap on the floor with nooses draped from the ceiling above them. And Link turned to find that, instead of a doorway, behind him was a skeleton that had been half-buried in the wall, one arm reaching out. Link jumped backwards to get away from the outstretched hand.

Chains rattled. Link spun to look around at the skeletons again. He focused on a pair of pillars on the opposite side of the room from him. Just like the rest of the room, they were made of granite stones. They were also wrapped in what had to be hundreds of lengths of chains. The chains were not restricted to the pillars; something was tangled in between the pillars. Link was about to cross the room to get a closer look before he noticed the basin in the floor. How he had missed it was something he was beginning to realize, especially since the basin was filled almost to its stone brim with red liquid. It did not take imagination for Link to notice the furrows in the floor starting under each skeleton and traveling into the basin. With Janni's reminders in mind, he took the look of something bleeding these people dry worth little more than the dirt on his boots. Still, he had to admit that the scene still unnerved him.

"Ritual _sacrifice_ ," Janni hissed with excitement as Link started around the basin. "Now _that_ 's a death theme."

"Even though it's all fake?" Link asked.

"Oh, _now_ you believe me?" Janni said in a challenging voice. "Even though the blood is now _crawling_ out toward our metal-clad adversary?"

Link gave her a confused glance before looking down at the basin. The blood, against the flow of gravity, was draining itself out of the basin into another furrow that split apart about halfway to the pillars. There, the blood climbed up the pillars through the spaces between the stones.

Link drew his sword. Then he caught Janni staring at him. "What?" he asked defensively. "I never said it didn't _hurt_."

The chains started rattling on their own. The "blood" soaked into the stone and disappeared. Then, the chains loosened enough that the object fell into the top of a moss-covered box directly between the pillars with a heavy thud. The chains continued to fall, revealing a handle capped with a bulb of dark metal. The handle looked like leather laces, but Link was not sure if he wanted to get close enough to be sure. Then the chains revealed the black iron blade: easily taller than Link and wider than Link's neck. As the length was revealed, Link saw that the sword was broader at the end, easily matching the distance between Link's shoulders. The blade was double-sided and sported a shallow curve instead of a single point. Link looked around when he realized that the torches were dying down.

Then movement called attention back to the sword as a black cloth twisted about the sword. Link tensed as he watched the cloth grow larger until a cloak the size of a camping tent hovered over the handle, spread open like a wind was blowing into it from below. A metal clang sounded, and the massive sword gave a jerk before it rose. Link watched as the cloak again circled the sword, which turned in mid-air like someone was wielding it.

He did not even realize the sword was descending on him until one blade turned toward him. Even after raising the shield to intercept the downward strike, the weight behind the sword almost broke his arm with its impact. For a moment, Link was staring at the blade just a hair's breadth away from slicing into his scalp. Then Link sidestepped and let the weight of the sword slip over the shield away from him. The sword clanged into the floor, and Link brought up his own sword to stab into the cloak.

His blade only skipped off the large sword's pommel and into the air where the cloak had been.

Link quickly withdrew and looked around for the cloak, thinking that the creature had somehow disappeared while he was distracted looking at the sword. The only sound he heard was his own breathing. His boots softly grunted as he backed away from the sword, his head looking left and right for that black cloak. He even peered into the basin to see if it had dove in there for cover.

 _Chink._

Link's eyes snapped back to the sword just in time to see it rise high in the air. He barely had time to stop the blow with his own blade. Even then, the horizontal strike lodged in the corner where Link's blade met the meager crossguard, and Link was struck in the shoulder as the impact shoved his left arm out of the way. The floor disappeared, and Link flew over the basin and slammed his right shoulder into the floor. He rolled sideways, but he kept his arm outstretched to avoid stabbing himself. His flailing legs kicked apart a skeleton sitting on the floor, but the shield saved him from hitting the wall hard. The room swirled for a moment as Link tried to regain his focus. Then he pushed up from the floor and looked toward the sword.

The cloak had returned, appearing to rest on the shoulders of something much larger than any human Link had ever known. Both it and the sword jumped through the air as if there really was someone physical underneath the cloak. The sword rose to aim its curved head at Link. Link dug the toes of his boots into the floor and propelled himself forward into a roll just as the sword stabbed into the floor where he had been standing. The roll gave Link enough momentum to rise to his feet and wheel around. The cloak did not disappear this time, so Link lunged the four-step distance toward the cloak with his sword poised for a stab. He was not sure if the creature had been caught off-guard, but its reaction was to jerk the sword around just to clip Link's head with the flat of the blade. Even with the minimum contact, Link stumbled to the right and landed on his hands and knees. This time, Link did not want to chance being down within striking distance and pushed up from the ground so that he could move out of the way. It had been the right call because the creature reoriented the sword to aim the head of the blade down. Where it struck the floor would have decapitated Link if he had not already moved.

Link positioned himself almost in front of where the doorway should have been and turned with his sword raised to the creature. Ideally, he wanted the creature to come at him again while he was standing so that he had a chance at a clean shot.

Then the creature turned its shoulders while changing its hold on its sword.

Link dove aside into a roll when the sword suddenly hurled toward him. He felt something slice into his left calf and had to bring himself to a stop on his hands and knees. He could not take time to look at the wound. Instead, his eyes fell on where the cloaked creature should have been standing. But the cloak was gone again. His gaze jerked back to the sword.

And something grabbed his left forearm. He was ripped straight into the air, his skin screaming in protest of the rough grip, his muscles straining to keep his arm in its joint. He rose until he was about halfway to the ceiling. He reached toward the fingers holding him with the intention of tugging loose.

All color drained from his face as he perceived his arm, from elbow to fingertips, as a bleached skeleton of an arm. The bodysuit sleeve simply ended at his elbow. His skin and his muscles were simply gone.

His arm shimmered, and he was suddenly looking at another skeletal hand holding his bare forearm. The bones were twice the size of his own hand and black with a reddish-white outer layer peeling away. He followed the shimmering as it revealed an arm, a shoulder, a collar bone, a spine. Link's eyes could not get any wider as he gawked in horror at the skull of the creature he had been fighting. It had a protruding structure like a dog's muzzle. One eye socket had been broken, revealing black space inside. Horns sprouted from the temples on either side. The left horn had only come out a bit before it appeared to have been broken into a jagged spike on that side of its head. The other horn protruded out into a sharp angle which brought its direction forward, where it flattened out and formed a blade that skirted the right side of its mouth. Link looked down to see more ribs on this creature than a skeleton should have, followed by a pelvis and set of legs that looked like they bent back uncomfortably at the knee. Its feet were wide and almost spider-like.

Link raised his eyes to the skull again. The skull gave a grind as it jerked at him as if to bite his face. Then it turned, swinging Link, and smashed him into the wall hard. Link let out a grunt as pain registered across his back. He had avoided letting his head hit the wall, so he grabbed the creature's crooked thumb with his free hand. He panicked when he saw his other hand suddenly turn into a skeleton's hand and pulled it away. The movement caused the muscles in his arm to cry out in further pain.

The monster swung him again, this time causing the shield on Link's arm to clang as his whole right side hit the wall. This time, the whiplash caused Link's head to hit the wall. In his dizziness, he relaxed his hand and dropped his sword. He lost track of what was happening and could only tell he was swinging again. For a moment, he felt light, like he was floating.

Then he crashed into something hard, knocking whatever structure was in front of him into pieces that scattered across the ground just to stab him. The floor battered him with both bounces until his front slammed him to a stop against the wall. He then dropped onto his right arm, which caused him to roll onto his back. All over his body, he could feel different spots trying to prioritize pain above the others. Perhaps the most significant was his right arm. From the shoulder down felt like he had shoved his arm into a bonfire. He knew, with perhaps just a subtle note among the other aches he felt, that the shoulder had been dislocated. He had to use his right foot, sporting pain that he guessed might have been a twisted ankle, to roll himself away from the wall so that he could face the monster across the room.

The broken remains of the monster sword's pedestal blocked his view. But, just looking at them, he saw that the pedestal had been hollow. He propped himself up on his left arm to look at the wood boards and splinters littering the floor around him. And right in front of him, sheathed in gold and azure, appeared to be a sword.

Movement forced him to look up as the monster, having gone invisible again, started across the room with sword in hand. Link had no time. Battered and broken as he was, he was sure he would be killed if it reached him while he was unarmed. And he was _quite_ sure he would be killed; even if this whole setup was fake, the pain was real enough to convince him that he would definitely die should he lose. He reached his right hand out to pull the sword closer, a feat he wished more than anything that he did not have to do. He sat up with his feet folded beneath him, allowing him to reach forward with his left hand. The sight of his normal hand assured him of the previous illusion, and he grabbed the roughly-textured handle of this new sword. He had to use it to help himself to his feet. He looked up to see that the monster was angling its sword to jab in between the pillars. Without hesitation, Link placed his weight on his twisted ankle. He felt a new surge of pain as he spun to his right. The monster jabbed at him and struck the wall instead. It withdrew quickly, and Link ducked behind the right pillar as it stabbed again. Fresh heat seared a line across Link's shoulder blades, and he stumbled forward as the increase in pain threw off his concentration. He heard the _chink_ of metal pulling out of stone and looked at the flash of black on the other side of the pillar. He knew it would hurt, but he dove and rolled underneath a horizontal swing now aiming to sever him at the chest. Falling onto his dislocated shoulder only worsened the pain, although he was glad that the rest of his arm had gone almost completely numb. He could not rise to his feet as before, instead making it only to a knee. In lieu of this, he used the momentum to swing his sword arm through the air. This flung the azure sheath off a clean, unmarred blade of almost pure white.

Link had no time to admire the blade, already strange enough that he could feel the difference between his Whittleton-forged blade and this shining piece of craftsmanship. The monster, having embedded its own sword into the pillar, had just parted the blade from the pillar and was already in the middle of a devastating horizontal swing. Link could not use the sword to parry, so he purposefully fell onto his stomach. He felt a breeze as the sword passed almost close enough to shave the clothes off his back. He pushed himself up on his good arm and watched as the sword swung into an ascending arc away from him. Then he saw that the sword was coming back down on him, using the blade on the opposite side. He rolled to his left. _Clang!_ The sword rang off the floor. He rose to watch the sword prepare for another downward swing. He had to end this. So instead of rolling again, he used his speed advantage to push off the ground and advance quickly on the invisible monster. The sword still came down, forcing Link to dodge right or else have the sword cleave him in two. He held the new sword at a downward angle. The monster saw what he was doing, and the cloak tried to collapse over it in order to escape.

Link raised the sword in a clumsy upward strike. Clumsy, but still with enough accuracy to strike the handle of the monster's sword. An animal's howl echoed off the walls as the handle was cleanly sliced free of the sword down the middle. The cloak backed away from the sword, its movements now angry and scattered as if it was restraining itself.

Link watched the pommel dance around on the floor. It occurred to him that, instead of trying to pick up the sword by what little handle that remained, it was only touching the part of the handle he had cut off. He took a step forward and planted his foot firmly on the pommel, pinning it to the floor. It still tugged, and Link could feel something quite thin trying to pull across his boot. With the contrast of his brown boot underneath it, Link saw a black thread trying to pull across his foot. After giving the cloak one last look, this one of utter antipathy, he raised the sword and cut the air across where the thread should have been.

The cloak froze in the air. Then it fell out of the air and into the basin, where it caught fire. Link stepped up to the edge of the basin and watched the cloak burn out of existence. Even the last remains of the fire simply disappeared, not even leaving ashes behind.

Link collapsed to his knees and dropped both the sword and the shield. His head pounded as hard as his heart, and his body simply refused to answer his desires to move. He felt broken. Rusted. Dare he even think it?

Dead.

His consciousness started slipping away. The last he could make out was a rumble and a ray of orange light protruding from somewhere nearby.


	21. Whispers in the Daylight

Chapter 21: Whispers in the Daylight

…

Link stirred and opened his eyes to the first rays of morning sunlight invading his cabin. His thoughts on the moment were mostly confused. For once, he actually felt perfectly refreshed by a whole night of sleep. At the same time, his body was heavy and aching like someone had spent the night beating the stuffing out of him with a plank of wood. He was ready to attribute it to being lazy until he tried to use his right arm to push himself up. The moment he put his weight on it, his shoulder registered an intense blade of pain, and he collapsed back to the bed. He ground his teeth as he tried not to holler. He could not believe the pain, the fresh feeling of aggravated alertness he had only felt whenever he had had a…

A dislocated shoulder.

Link rolled onto his back and used his opposite hand to prod around the shoulder. Nothing felt out of place. No amount of touching seriously aggravated his shoulder, although he did experience some measure of soreness. He carefully tugged on the collar of his body suit and peered inside, using the sunlight to help see. There was no denying that his shoulder was seriously bruised. But there was no sign of it having actually been dislocated.

By now, as he tugged the collar back into place, memories of the dream he had had started to return. The meeting with Janni, the exploration of the library, the different creatures that seemed to live below the island, all of it with perfect clarity. Just remembering the fights made his body feel heavier as he sat up on the edge of the bed. He looked down by the head of the bed to see the shield staring at his desk chair. Just to be sure it was really there, he placed a hand on it and rocked it to one side. He took a few more minutes to relax and let the physical fatigue run its course. Then he relieved himself and changed to a cleaner body suit before putting on his clothes and his usual gear.

When he stepped outside, he was keenly aware that there was a bit of gloom hovering over the deck crew. The obvious reason was a lack of sleep, as indicated by Biluf standing with her back against the port mizzen-mast and a hand pressed over her eyes.

He approached her and asked, "Biluf, waba hwicikak mah?"

Biluf started and quickly hid both hands behind her back. "A-ay'a, Kyabtin," she answered. "'Inu 'olwu tigi cinilak. Lyayn dhahnwya'ak 'inon."

Link nodded. "'Inu matikak. 'Inu 'atnya'ak." Biluf nodded, so he used a hand to indicate the rest of the deck. "Fizuban taris."

Biluf saluted. "Ay'a, Kyabtin." Link returned the salute, and Biluf started walking toward the bow.

Link turned to watch her and saw Leynne approaching him. "Captain," he said. "Might I have a wohd?"

"Sure, Leynne," Link said.

"Fihst," Leynne said as he stopped in front of Link. "Keeping the crew awake last night was moh wohk than it was wohth. Even _I_ fell asleep last night."

Link heaved a sigh. "I was worried about that. Did anyone manage to sleep _through_ the night?"

"I'm afraid not. Once someone stahted to sleep, the rest would drift off until one of them screamed the room awake. It made the night last much longeh."

"We'll have to get the crew used to staying awake at night. We don't know how long we'll be here."

"I've thought about that. I think we might try changing the time the crew switches. The day crew switches off at noon, and the night crew switches off at night. It should give a little moh incentive to staying awake at night."

Link nodded his agreement. "Spread the word. We don't need a whole shift losing sleep."

"Second," Leynne told him. "We'h out of coffee."

Link shrugged. "I guess you'll just have to sleep like the rest of us then."

Leynne gave him a flat look as he replied, "My insomnia shall not suffeh in vain."

Link finally managed a smile. "Anything else?"

"Uh…" Leynne gave an uncomfortable look and turned to see if anyone else was standing nearby. "Yes, actually," he then told Link in a lower voice. "I… I must confess."

Link blinked for a moment, stupefied. "O-okay…"

Leynne sighed. "I'm sorry, Link, but I do _have_ some ratheh bad news.

"The evening previous to last… when we found youh friend Maroon, we'd discovehed that he had hanged himself. I… I admit that I tuhned it into a false affaih. You had woken up from a nightmah again, and I was concehned that you might have an… unsavory response to the scene. I explained the plight to Misteh Gold, and we agreed to remove Maroon from the noose befoh you ahrived. When you found us, we had just taken the noose down. I untied it afteh you'd left and stashed the rope."

Link stared at him for a moment, overwhelmed by the news. He finally had to take a breath to get his mind working once more. "Okay. Okay… I… I don't know what to say, Leynne."

"I hadn't hoped foh too much," Leynne admitted. "I hadn't planned to infohm you, but… well, I'd hoped you would undehstand."

Link crossed his arms. "Well… I'm a little shocked. I… I just don't know, Leynne. I appreciate the consideration, but… I also kinda wish you'd told me before."

"I know, and… at the time, I'd considehed it. I wouldn't want to keep such a thing from you, but… I was somewhat blinded by the moment."

Link nodded. "Okay. I-I'm glad you decided to tell me. Was there… was there _any_ sort of hint about why he did it?"

Leynne shook his head. "I cannot say, Link."

Link nodded once more as he recalled some of his conversation with Janni. What had she said? That people started praying for an end, and that they usually found one the next day? That did not sound like the Maroon that he and Irleen had talked to. If anything, Maroon had seemed _bored_. Lethargic. Not at all desperate like Janni had implied. He did not believe so, but could their interaction with Maroon have caused it?

"Captain!" Both Link and Leynne looked up as Airman Hunter descended from the poop deck. He set foot on the quarterdeck and stepped up to the railing at the front of the deck. "Hey, did someone stay on the island last night? Anyone you sent?"

Link and Leynne shared a confused look. "No, there shouldn't be anyone on the island," Link called back. "Why do you ask?"

"There's smoke coming from the buildings." Hunter pointed toward the island, and Link and Leynne followed with their eyes.

He was right. Against the deep blue of a morning sky yet to be touched by the sun, three lines of black smoke rose from the settlement.

Link felt stunned and could not speak for a moment. Then he asked Leynne while still staring at the island, "Leynne?"

"Conduct a roll call," Leynne replied, "yes, sih." He cupped his hands around his mouth and hollered at the bow, "All hands on deck!"

Link indicated Hunter to join the deck crew already lining up in the middle of the main deck. Then he moved closer to the starboard bulwark to try finding the origin of the smoke.

Gold was the last to emerge from—… Beech was the last to emerge from below, carrying Chief Sello over one shoulder. Link turned around when he realized that Beech was grunting and watched as Beech set down Sello, a tall man sporting long, blond hair standing off his scalp and clad in an orange utility suit topped with a yellow waistcoat. Despite the serious nature of their situation, Link shot a flat look towards the other members of his engine room crew.

Gold handed Leynne a clipboard and stepped into line. Leynne flipped over a couple of pages before he started shouting names. "Ihleen!"

"Here," Irleen answered in a clear voice.

"Gillam!"

"Aye, sir!" Gillam hollered.

"Cale!"

"YAH!" Cale shouted in surprise. "A-aye, saah!"

"Gold!"

"Yessir."

"Geohdie!"

"Aye, sir!" replied a man in his early thirties with short, red hair half covered in grunge.

"Stan!"

"Aye, boss," said an overweight man wearing a dirty apron. He subsequently brushed some odd crumbs out of a voluminous, salt-and-pepper beard.

"Sello!"

"Toofbrush!" Sello replied as he swayed in place next to Beech.

"Dubbl!"

"Ay'a, 'Imbiyt!" Dubbl replied before sticking her tongue out at him.

"Save that foh lateh," Leynne told her, eliciting a giggle from both her and Dholit. "Twali!"

"Ay'a, Lyayn!" Twali replied.

"Dholit!"

"Ready and willing, 'Imbiyt," Dholit said with her sly grin matching her smooth voice.

"Rope it in, Dholit," Leynne said with a flat voice. "Nesteh!"

"Here, sir," answered the scrawny, late-aged doctor scratching at the left breast of his off-white jacket.

"Hahley!"

"'Ere, boss."

"Hunteh!"

"Yo."

"Moh volume, please. Beech!"

"Aye… sir…" Beech wheezed, still doubled-over with exhaustion from having to carry Sello.

"Make da monkey do it," Sello said, laying a solid slap on Beech's back. Beech immediately collapsed to the deck.

"Floweh!" Leynne snapped as Gold stepped out of line to help Beech.

"Aye, sir."

"Brandon!"

"Aye, sir!"

"Biluf!"

"Ay'a, Lyayn!"

"Botu!"

"Aye, sir."

"Lawrence!"

"'Ere, boss."

"Ray!"

"May Kyabtin balw!" Link, Leynne, and the Gelto crew turned to stare at her, including a rather annoyed look from Layna. Ray shrunk between Lilly and Flower and uttered a meek, "N-na'… ay'a, Amda…"

"Layna!"

Layna jumped in surprise. "A-Ay'a, Amda!"

"Line!"

"Are you kidding?" Line asked through a yawn. This earned him a light slap on the back of the head from Flower, standing on the other side from Dholit.

"Randy!"

"Arr, sir!" replied a forty-year-old man with a thick, black beard and a patch slung over his left eye.

"Lilly!"

"Yeah!"

"Lwamm!"

"Ay'a, Lyayn," Lwamm answered, arms crossed and glaring like Leynne had somehow offended her.

Link realized that Leynne had let a few moments of silence go and turned to the crew. Leynne anticipated Link's question and said, "That's the whole rosteh, Captain."

"So then," Hunter asked, one finger indicating the island, "who's out _there_?"

Link glanced back over his shoulder. Then he addressed his crew, "I'll be going ashore to take a look. Leynne will be in command while I'm gone. Line, Irleen… Cale, and Layna will be with me. I know you guys are tired, but I need you right now. The rest of you, as you were." The crew began to disperse. "Except the engine crew!"

Six bodies froze in place. The seventh of his engine crew finally succumbed to his permanent inebriation and fell forward onto the deck. "Didn' hurt!" Sello declared.

"Guys," Link addressed them as they turned to face him, "I know it's fun for you to haze the new man, but this is getting a little annoying."

"It's all meant in the spirit of companionship, Captain," Geordie said with a grin on his face.

"That's what you said last month when you shaved his legs and made him report to roll call wearing _shorts_ ," Link reminded him.

Geordie's grin became cheesier. "Spirit of companionship, sir," he repeated.

Link used two fingers to point as he said, "Botu and Beech have experience just like you and Randy do. The situation on this ship is going to get a little tense in the next few days, so I'd appreciate it if you guys wouldn't make it worse by pranking each other into another fistfight."

"Aye, sir," Beech and Geordie said while Randy answered with, "Arr."

"And Beech?" Link continued. "Use the bell; we paid for it."

"Sir?" Beech asked.

"We trained 'im t' come t' roll call when 'e 'ears the bell," Lawrence explained, sporting a large grin while Harley used a hand to suppress his sniggering.

"Good times…" Sello told the deck his face was still pressed against.

Beech turned to Botu. "You didn't tell me about a bell," he accused.

"I thought they already told you," Botu defended.

"I've been hauling his ass up here for a whole _month_!"

"Well, you can stop," Link told him. "No more jokes." Then Link twitched his neck after realizing that such a simple order would inspire them to keep their pranks secret. So he added, "Until we get back home."

"Aye, sir," Beech, Botu, and Geordie replied while Randy gave another "Arr" and Sello said, "Tickle me."

"Dismissed."

"C'mon, Chief Din'-Don'," Harley said as he hauled Sello to his feet. "Le's go find another way t' ge' in trouble."

"I mean it!" Link hollered at their backs.

"Think it's gonna stick?" Irleen said as she came to a hover near Link's head to watch the engine crew file down the starboard stairs.

"No, those idiots are gonna kill each other," Link told her with a defeated voice. He turned to her. "I think something might've happened last night, and I want your opinion."

"Sure."

"I know that dreams can be manipulated, but would it be possible to use dreams to affect _reality_?"

Irleen was silent for a moment. "Uuh… that's… where's _this_ coming from?"

"My dreams last night. I didn't have a nightmare (relatively speaking), but I dreamed that I woke back up on the _Symphony_ and explored the island. I even went past that black mass in the library."

"Hmmm. I don't know, Link. This is getting into an area that I've never actually heard about. Can you prove what you saw?"

"Yeah, where's Leynne?" Link asked, spinning to look toward the bow. He spotted Leynne talking to Dubbl and called out, "Hey, Leynne! Could you come here a moment?"

Leynne traded a kiss with Dubbl and jogged back to Link. At the same time, Layna approached from behind Link, her stealth relaxed so that Link knew she was there. "Yes?" Leynne asked.

"You woke up the crew last night?" Link asked.

"Yes, sih, just as we'd discussed," Leynne said.

"And you took them down to the galley?"

Leynne nodded. "It seemed the logical place."

"Doesn't really _mean_ much," Irleen told Link.

"And Layna suddenly stopped after coming out of the berthing deck? Because she knew someone was watching her?"

Both Leynne and Layna blinked in surprise at Link while Irleen turned to stare at him. Leynne's mouth opened and closed as he tried to compose some words. The best he could get out was, "H-how…?"

"Because it was _me_ ," Link told him. " _I_ was standing in front of the port stairs. I came down to the cargo hold because I wanted to see if Layna would respond to me staring at her." Link then glanced at Layna over his shoulder. Layna's cheeks had reddened, and she gave Link an uncomfortable look. "Sorry, Layna. I didn't mean to upset you like that."

"'I-'inu mithaysafak," Layna said, looking down at the deck. "'Inu nayx mimidhjak sazamtoyk My Kyabtin dha' rujun."

"What do you think?" Link asked Irleen, completely missing Layna's horrified look and Leynne shooting her a humored eyebrow raise.

"I think we might be dealing with some potent magic," Irleen said. "But how did you do it?"

"The shield."

Irleen gave a pause before telling him, "I want another look at that shield."

…

Irleen spent a few minutes staring at the shield until she finally concluded that there was nothing special about it. Despite Link claiming that the shield had allowed him to wander the island while he had been asleep, the only thing Irleen could tell him was that she could not see anything to indicate the presence of magic. Link decided to leave the shield in his cabin, giving Leynne instructions to make sure no one bothered it.

On the way to the settlement, Cale and Line talked about trying to stay awake in the galley last night. They explained what had happened to the coffee: Stan had fixed three pots of coffee to cover the day shift, and most of the older crew had partaken except for Dholit (under Leynne's strict observation). Cale talked about hearing the wind whistle against the ship's hull and through the cargo hold. Link noted the discussion due to the unusual occurrence of hearing the wind. He knew from being down in the galley plenty of times at night that, even when the wind was strong enough to make an audible sound through the hold, he had never heard the wind even at the foot of the stairs in the galley. He would have asked them more about what had happened last night if they had not started competing for who had had the strangest dream, which Irleen dove into moments later. Afterwards, Line descended into his usual griping about being part of the shore party, causing Link to forget asking.

They followed the closest line of smoke to a single-story building not far from the outskirts of the settlement. Link recalled the colorful walls he had seen in his latest dream and wondered if there was something painted on the outside that simply blended together in daylight.

"Okay…" Irleen said as she descended back to eye level with the group. "So… now what?"

"Should we just go inside?" Cale asked, indicating the door. "Would that be an intrusion?"

"Well," Link said as he looked around the outside, " _clearly_ , someone's home. I think we should knock."

"You can say that about _any_ of the buildings around here," Irleen pointed out. "We've already broken into two."

"Link said that these things around here just ignored him," Line said as he stepped forward. "I say we just go inside."

"Hold on, Line," Link said, grabbing Line's hand just as he was reaching for the doorknob. "We know that _some_ individuals respond to us. We should try the easier method first."

"But barging in _is_ easy…" Line growled as he retracted his hand. Link tapped his knuckles against the door's frame. "What kinda knock is _that_?"

"It was a decent knock," Link argued, giving Line an irritated scowl.

"You'd get more reaction out of it if you smacked the door with a dead _fish_!"

Link pointed down the road. "Fine! Go find me a dead fish, and I'll use _that_!"

"Uh… Captain?" Cale spoke up with an uneasy edge to his voice. This prompted both Link and Line to turn back to the door.

An Obeetan had opened it and now stood in the doorway with its barely-visible head tilted in confusion. " **Oh, my** ," it spoke up, its deep, distorted voice causing Cale and Line to visibly cringe. " **I have visitors.** " Then it tilted its head to the other side. " **Right?** "

"Yes," Link quickly replied even as Line and Cale took a step backwards. He grabbed the shoulder of Line's black bodysuit to stop him. "Yes, we're visitors. Would you mind if we talked with you for a moment?"

" **Yes, yes!** " the Obeetan replied as it stepped aside. It swept a hand to invite them in. " **Please, make yourselves comfortable.** "

Link stepped inside and immediately moved to the opposite side of the doorway to make sure his crew followed. A prod from Layna forced both Line and Cale forward while Irleen carefully hovered across the threshold. Link then turned to look around the house. It was a single room illuminated by a pair of open windows opposite the door. In between those windows was the source of the smoke: a lit fireplace with a black tea kettle hanging inside it. Against the left wall was a large bed and an empty wash basin. A wooden table occupied the space on the right side of the room, and additional chairs lined the wall.

Link made note of the fact that the table was set for six, the same number as the chairs had been arranged around it, as he sat at the nearby end. "I hope we're not intruding," he said. "It looks like you were expecting some other company."

The Obeetan gave an unconcerned hum and told them, " **I probably was, but I can't seem to decide who was coming.** "

"Friends, maybe?" Line said as he looked at the table.

" **Could be.** " The Obeetan then moved to the wash basin and held a hand over it as if testing the non-existent water's temperature. " **I hope you don't mind my asking, but have we met before? I must confess to not knowing your names.** "

"I'm Link," Link said. He indicated Line as Line took a chair near the opposite end of the table. "This is Line…" He nodded toward Cale as Cale moved to warm his hands over the fire. "That's Cale…" Then he pointed out Irleen as she circled the room overhead. "She's Irleen…" Lastly, he switched hands to indicate Layna, who was carefully closing the front door. "And she's Layna. It's all right if you don't know us; we haven't actually met before."

" **Okay,** " the Obeetan said, a breath of relief in its voice. " **I was concerned that I was being a horrible hostess for not knowing.** "

"A hostess?" Cale repeated, looking over his shoulder. "You'h a woman?"

" **In all honesty, I can't say. All I know is my concern for being a good hostess to those visiting me.** "

Irleen dropped down to Link's side and whispered, "Link. This one's being surprisingly clear."

Link nodded and addressed the Obeetan, "We haven't heard your name yet."

" **I believe it's Logan,** " she replied. " **It's written on that bin in the corner.** "

"Bin?" Line asked, turning his head as Cale moved to investigate the back corner she was pointing to.

"How long have you been on this island?" Link asked.

" **I can't really tell,** " Logan replied. " **It seems like I've never really known anything else besides this island.** "

"It _would_ make sense," Cale said from the corner. "It's been some time since Hylians fihst ahrived. It wouldn't be unusual to find people bohn heah."

" **Hylian?** " Logan asked.

"It's what we call ourselves," Link said. He pointed back and forth as he continued, "Cale, Line, and I are all Hylians. Since you speak our language, you're probably a Hylian, too."

" **How** _ **interesting**_ **!** " she declared. " **I'd have never known. It's such a fascinating concept.** "

"That… _fascinates_ you?" Line asked with an air of disbelief.

" **I don't know that it's apparent to you, but we don't exactly** _ **look**_ **alike.** "

"Oh," Line said with a grunt. He glanced down and started scratching at his eyebrows. "Yeah."

"What can you tell us about this island?" Link asked.

" **Very little, I'm afraid,** " Logan replied as she moved to the fireplace. " **Would you like some tea?** "

"Uh—please," Link replied.

" **To tell you the truth, I haven't ventured out of this house in a long time.** " Both Link and Line watched in surprise as she simply lifted the kettle out of the fireplace, not caring that it might be hot. " **I spend most of my time here waiting.** "

"Waiting?" Link replied as he watched Logan cross directly in front of him to a cabinet next to the door. He had felt the heat from the kettle, and he wondered if the Obeetans had lost the ability to sense temperature as well. However, he pushed the thought aside so he could ask, "For what?"

" **I forget. It probably wasn't anything important.** "

"You don't have a job or anything?" Link asked, his voice masking Cale's hissing to gain Line's attention. He was barely aware of Line rising from the table.

" **No.** " Logan said as she pulled some tea cups from the shelf.

"Does youh husband have an occupation?" Cale asked while trading places with Line.

" **Yes. He's a miner. He works in the shafts on the south side of the… isl…** " Logan paused pouring tea to turn toward Cale. " **How do you know I have a husband? I hadn't even thought of it until you mentioned it.** "

Link glanced over to see Cale sport a sickly face. He forced himself into a neutral expression before pointing at Logan. "Youh left hand," he explained. "You'h wearing a silvah wedding band."

Logan raised her left hand. Link caught a glint of silver on one of her fingers. " **You're right. That's amazing. I've always had this ring, but I never knew why.** "

"Do you know where he is now?" Link asked.

" **Gone to mine, I believe,** " Logan said as she resumed pouring tea. " **I don't think he's been back for days, but it doesn't feel unusual.** " Link heard Line trade a quiet remark with Cale and assumed he was making a smart-ass comment. " **They feed them at the mines, though. I believe he told me about the rations that they keep down there. It isn't much, but it suits their needs.** "

"Rations?" Line asked. "As in 'packaged' and 'more disgusting than licking your boots clean' rations?"

" **I assume so,** " Logan said. " **I don't really recall ever eating them myself, though.** "

Line hustled along the wall and stepped up behind Link from the other side of the table. "Link, it's perfect," he said in a low voice. "We can load up the _Conductor_ with those rations as long as they're still good. We could be outta here in two more days!"

"I agree," Link replied in a similar voice, "but we need to find them first." He paused to accept a saucer with a tea cup from Logan. "And we have to make sure the rations are still good. It won't help us if we get food poisoning from a bunch of spoiled rations."

"No thanks; I'm trying to quit," Line told Logan as she tried to offer him a cup.

" **Oh, okay,** " Logan replied as she moved on to Cale.

Link returned to his low tone as he told Line, "We'll do this carefully. There's still too much going on around here."

"Point taken," Line said, "but we _need_ to get out of here. We're wasting time."

"You're not confused by an Obeetan being awake?" Link asked.

Line gave Link a confused look. "A what? An… an Obeetan?"

Link was about to insult Line until he realized that his crew still did not have the information he had collected in his dream. So he said, "Just bear with me; I'll tell you later."

"Great," Line moaned. " _More_ crap I'll never understand. I'm still wrapping my head around the whole 'volcano' thing."

"That's why you should read more," Link said before he decided to take a drink of tea. Then, once he had the cup under his nose, he realized that his cup was empty. He looked over to Cale to see Cale, once Logan had turned her back, hold his cup upside down to show Link that his was empty as well.

"Oh, that's not very promising…" Line groaned as he moved to step around the table.

Link set the cup back onto its saucer, deciding to try playing along with the absurdity. "I noticed that there weren't a lot of people out today," Link said. "Any idea why?"

" **I can't say,** " Logan said, glancing toward the windows in back as if to view the situation herself. " **I've never seen that before.** "

"Tell me," Link said, "what were you doing before we showed up?"

" **Setting places for company,** " she said, turning to indicate the table.

"And before that?"

Logan paused as she set the hot kettle on the mantle behind Cale. " **Hmm. I'm not sure. I think I was out for a walk.** "

"A walk?" Cale asked as she sat down on the edge of the bed. "In public? Last evening?"

" **Yes, I think I was,** " Logan replied. " **It's the strangest thing, too. I was walking, and… I think someone ran into me. I remember looking around, but I'd only seen a flash of green before I realized that I was just standing dumbfounded in the street. I forgot why I was out, so I came home from there. I've been preparing for visitors since then.** "

At her mention of a flash of green, Cale, Line, and Irleen were all staring at Link. Link cleared his throat. "Well, I don't want to seem rushed, but we have to get going," he told her as he stood up. "We have some work to get to, and your visitors will probably be here soon."

Logan gave an exhausted sigh. " **I suppose you're right,** " she conceded.

"Thank you for the tea," Link said, raising the cup to remind her.

She nodded and said, " **Just leave your cups on the table; I'll clean them later.** "

Link received Layna's cup so that Layna could open the front door. "Thank you again," Link said. "You've helped us out quite a bit."

" **Oh. Well, I'm glad I could.** "

Link ushered his crew out. "Goodbye," he told Logan just before shutting the door. The last he saw was a friendly handwave from her. He pointed down a side street and shushed his crew. Once they were out of sight of Logan's house, he looked up at Irleen. "What did you think, Irleen?"

"If you're asking if that was similar to Maroon," Irleen replied, "yes, definitely. It seems like, if these people can remain either in their homes or at a place familiar to them, it's easier to maintain themselves. A lot of her fragments of life were centered on that ring. When Cale mentioned her husband, more fragments built onto what was already on that ring. But, if you're asking what I thought _personally_ about that whole visit, I'd have to say I've felt more comfortable at a funeral."

"But _why_?" Line asked. "I thought these things are only awake at _night_. What's wrong with _this_ one?"

"I might know," Link said, "and it's gonna sound weird."

"How much weirder can things get around here?" Line asked.

Link stared at him for a moment. Then he said, "Last night, that shield separated me from my body. I don't know why, but I think it only works when I'm asleep. I explored the island, and I found out what that black thing in the library is."

Cale and Line stood stunned for a moment. Then Line told Cale, "I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

"What _is_ in the library?" Irleen asked.

"They call it 'The Night'," Link explained. "And it's the reason things are the way they are around here. It's been feeding off these people's dreams ever since they arrived. The combination of having The Night feed off them and trying to keep it away has caused them to turn into this."

"Wait, wait," Line said. "Are you saying that the _night_ is what's causing our nightmares?"

"I'm not entirely sure yet," Link admitted. "And, technically it's not the _night_ itself causing it. It's the creature that lives under the island; they _call_ it The Night. It has access to the technoworks. I think that's how it's been controlling the winds around the island. I'm not sure how to free ourselves from it, but that's what I'm going to find out."

"How long do we have?" Cale asked.

Link shrugged. "To become like them? It might be a long time. But we should get away from here as soon as possible."

"So… how does all this explain _her_?" Line asked, pointing down the street behind Link.

"I was chasing someone last night," Link said. "A creature named Janni. She's a prisoner inside that shield. She told me about The Night and the Obeetans. But… I think I might have bumped into her and a couple others while I was chasing Janni. That might be why there are people awake now."

"Even though _you_ were asleep," Line pointed out with an air of discomfort.

Link shrugged again. "If she remembers seeing a green streak, it might've been me. I was really hauling ass last night."

"That might be so," Cale spoke up. "But, Captain, I wondah if that soht of interaction is wise. People like haah must be suffering if they rediscovah themselves in such a manneh."

"People like 'her'?" Link asked. "Logan?"

Line and Cale shared a look. "Link," Line said. "That's not her name."

Link could feel the heat drain from his body and his intestines writhe themselves into knots. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"It was moah than just the ring which I'd noticed, Link," Cale said. "Haah bed was lahge, indicating that she might've shahed it with someone. Theah was also that bin she mentioned. The one that was supposed to beah haah name?"

Link nodded. "Yeah?"

"It wasn't a bin, Link," Line spoke up. "It was an empty bassinet.

"Her missing baby's name is Logan."

…

The walk back toward the main street was conducted in silence. Link had never felt so spooked before in his life, even accounting for the fact that he had once spoken to a dead man on a train. It only added to the island's malicious atmosphere, and once again he found himself eager to return home and leave this place behind. It also made him realize that he had yet to see a child Obeetan on his nightly walks. So far, everyone had stood above him, usually indicating adults. What had happened to the children? Had they just blended in with the adults as the adults had slowly lost their senses? Or… was it even possible that the children had survived for that long? At one point, Link had to stop his group so he could dry-heave against a building, so upset with the number of thoughts running through his head that he was reminded that he had left the ship without eating this morning. His crew could not help sharing his thoughts; Line had to hang his head around a corner and actually managed to vomit while Cale's face never seemed to regain color until later on. Layna had put on her stoic glare, although she was sympathetic enough to pat Link's back while he was trying to throw up.

Once they found the main road, they proceeded to the library. They still had a sickly air about them, but it had lightened since Link had forced them to stop. By the time they found the tunnel to the library, they had all but forgotten about it.

Link doubly so. Because his first reaction was to clamp onto Line's shoulder just as Line was about to jump into the hole.

"Yeouch!" Line whined. "What the—"

"Just hold on," Link told him as he stared at the hole. Layna had moved to stop Cale, and Cale exchanged looks with Line. Link stared at the hole, looking for any sign that The Night might still be awake. If Janni was not joking about what happened to people who blindly step in, he did not want his crew to suffer for it. Still, he had to admit to himself that he was being paranoid. The Night should be asleep. Even if it was not, it would have its black liquid filling the hole. And it would be solid; he should not have been able to see into the hole like now.

"Link?" Irleen asked after a moment.

Link shook his head and released Line. "Sorry," he said. "Just… if anything strange begins to happen down here, you're all ordered to return to the ship as soon as possible."

"You know," Line said as he stepped up to the edge of the hole again, "when you say crap like that, it just makes me _not_ want to do it."

"I suspect that would be the point," Cale said.

"Well, there's nothing in there but roots," Irleen said. "I just hope that flood a couple nights ago didn't ruin everything."

"Don't worry," Link said while Line dropped into the hole. "It's all all right."

"You know, I believe you somehow," she told him. "Even _that_ gets scary."

"Thanks a lot," Link groaned as she descended after Cale. He sensed Layna step up next to him and turned to place his fingers around her upper arm. "You heard my order, right?"

Layna, looking down at his hand in surprise, gave a nod. "Ay'a, My Captain," she told him.

" _Everyone_ follows it, Layna," he said with urgency in his voice. "There won't be any trying to save people. Leynne has to get word as soon as possible."

Layna stared at him with eyes wide, a spooked look which was ever so rare for her. Then she gave a sharp nod as she put on a determined face. "'Inu nayx mi'aythanak wabin 'atoyn, My Captain."

Link gave a sigh. He was not completely sure what she had said, but he took her physical response as an acknowledgement. "Okay then."

Once they were all in the tunnel, Line tried to alleviate their grim dispositions by telling a dirty joke he had heard from Hunter. The best it earned him was a confounded response from Cale, a groan from Irleen, and a smack on the back of the head from Link. Still, Link had to admit that it helped a bit. Line was being a prick again, and Link would not expect less of him.

They stepped into the library. All at once, they froze in place.

"Whoa…" Line commented as he looked around.

Cale, standing at the back of the group, looked around at them in confusion. "What? What is it?" he asked.

"Something's wrong," Line said.

"Something's _different_ ," Irleen corrected. She turned to look at the nearby walls. "I don't _see_ anything different."

Link hustled forward, prompting the group to follow him. He stopped himself on the railing around the atrium and leaned over the edge.

Instead of the shadow on the left side of the lowest floor, the entire floor was a uniform glow of living light. Link gave himself enough room to grunt and perform a small fist pump of victory, which only confused his comrades.


	22. Ballet of Life

Chapter 22: Ballet of Life

…

"Waaait a minute, wait a minute," Line called out as he dropped from the final step. He took a moment to join Link in the center of the deepest floor of the library. "You're… you're seriously saying that you _dreamed_ you went in there, killed something, and now it's _gone_?!"

"That's it," Link replied, not even flinching as Layna dropped to his side. Instead, he kept his eyes on the corridor on the far side of the floor.

"Well that's _nuts_!" Line said.

"Then explain _that_."

Line glanced in the direction Link had pointed. Then he took another look before he could further elaborate on his opinion of Link's sanity.

The black was gone. Instead, just as in Link's dream, the walls of the library encompassed an open doorway leading into a corridor. And, much to Link's rising glee, that corridor was orange. To be precise, yellow and orange light swirled around the surface of the walls, floor, and ceiling of the narrow corridor. It had been a while, but this was the unmistakable appearance of the Sorians' technoworks.

The lifeblood of each island in the sky, the technoworks represented the magnificence of the Sorians before they had disappeared into the Undying Storm. They dwelled below the ground, living rock which not only kept all the islands afloat but provided rich soil and fresh water to the surface of every island. Irleen had explained that the technoworks brought these up from the world below to strip them of their impurities in order to feed. They were grown like plants and, like any living being, were vulnerable to various forms of interactions. With Sorian magic, they could change the winds around the Hylians' airborne kingdom. Sufficient physical force could wound them until they turned black with death. Link had even discovered that they could become drunk, a vice discovered by his chief engineer which had led to an entirely unique set of problems.

"I'm loving _this_ ," Irleen commented to break the silence around them.

"This is _good_ , right?" Line asked, pointing. "This means we can go home."

"As long as the technoworks are intact," Irleen replied. "And we have to _hope_ that the control room is down here."

"Let's go," Link said as he started forward.

"I thought the big islands _always_ had a control room," Line said, falling into pace behind Link with Layna at his side. He glanced over his shoulder to see Cale rushing to catch them.

"Yeah," Irleen replied, "but the _bigger_ islands can have more than one accessible section of technoworks. Might Island probably has two or three areas."

"Is there anything you can tell us from this area?" Link asked just before crossing the threshold into the technoworks.

Irleen took a moment as she glanced left and right at the walls. "There's damage, but it's hard to tell how much," she said. "I'm sure this technoworks has the capacity to provide us another Sky Line back, but it won't work until we fix it."

" _Can_ we fix it?" Cale asked after catching up.

"Oh, yeah," Irleen replied, turning to fly backwards as she talked. "Once we tell the technoworks to heal itself, all of its abilities will be restored."

"How long with _that_ take?" Line asked.

"Depends on how many times Link screws up the controls."

"I've been practicing," Link defended, looking up to give her an annoyed glare.

"Then what?" Line asked Irleen. "We just hop on the Sky Line and go home?"

"Soon," Link answered. "We still need rations. Besides, I didn't bring the blues harp with me."

"That figures."

Link glanced over his shoulder. "What?" he asked, sounding offended.

"The one thing we could use right now, and you _forgot_ it."

"Oh, big _deal_ , Line! It's not going anywhere."

"Oh, boy."

Irleen's comment drew attention to the large room they had just stepped into. They realized that the light was much more uneven than usual. High on the surrounding walls, part of the technoworks had turned a pulsing, angry red color. The floor also had a large, red curve from the right side if the room toward the exit into the corridor.

"What's all that?" Line asked, pointing at the red area around them.

"Necrosis," Irleen said. "The technoworks here have been injured."

"This can't be right…" Link said in a low voice.

"What?" Irleen asked. "It's not like we haven't seen this before."

Link strode toward the middle of the room and turned to take in the arrangement of the damaged areas. "I know how these got here," he told the group. "But… it's _impossible_."

"What do you mean?" Cale asked.

"I was fighting a gigantic Bubble in this room," Link replied. He pointed to the floor and said, "This is where it scraped its jaw chasing me down." Then his finger picked out the large spots on the walls as he continued, "And it was banging its head on the walls. But that was all in my _dreams_."

"It was also inside the black creature," Irleen pointed out. "Maybe whatever happened while you were fighting it found its way into reality." Then she shook in place, producing a small ring. "Wow. It's kinda creepy to think about. I know _I_ 've had dreams which I don't want coming true."

"What does this mean foh the technowohks?" Cale asked.

"Well, they don't normally want to function if they're injured," Irleen said. "But we can still trigger the healing process as long as we can get to the control room."

Link was just recalling the fight with the large skeleton creature in the final room, wondering what kind of damage that that fight had caused. Then he snapped his fingers and told her, "I bet it's down here. I remember seeing a room that looks like it could be the control room." He turned to the doorway behind him. "C'mon."

Link led them into the short hallway that he had seen previously designed with muscle and bone, grateful to see that it was technoworks in the daylight. The antechamber at the other end sported a metal ladder. When Link peered down to the next room, he was relieved to see that it too was just technoworks floor and walls. His caution was annoying Line and Irleen, although they did not say anything open about it. They, along with the curious Cale and calm Layna, continued to follow him like they usually did.

The large room below did not sport any damage. Link was half-tempted to throw his boomerang at a wall to see if it would disappear into the distance again, but he decided against it since the walls were perfectly visible and doing so would just make him look like an idiot. Instead, he chose not to dwell, leading his group to the single doorway.

Once they were through the short hallway between rooms, the group stepped into the final chamber and abruptly stopped. Gashes had been cut into the floor and a few parts of the wall on the right. These gashes were pitch-black, a sign that the underlying technoworks had died. Many areas of the room pulsed red.

"Oh, no…" Irleen uttered as she hurried forward. The rest of the group hustled to a pair of technowork columns taking up room in front of the opposite wall. Irleen circled the column on the left until stopping in front of a horizontal cut that looked to be about halfway from splitting the column across. The inside surface was black, and the entirety of the column was pulsing red.

"This… doesn't look good," Line commented.

"This column has been seriously injured," Irleen said. "I don't know if it'll work in this state."

"We have the othah column," Cale pointed out. Then, after indicating the other column, he noticed something shimmer on the floor.

"Yeah, but _this_ one is the one that can give us another Sky Line," Irleen said. She looked around the room. "If we can heal the technoworks, they should gain the ability to make the Sky Line, but I don't know if this column will accept commands with damage like this."

"Well, if we heal the technoworks, it should fix this, too, right?" Link asked.

"Yeah, but the question is if we can even _get_ to the technoworks' functions with one of the control columns like this."

"Will it completely black out if we don't do anything?" Line asked.

"With this level of injury, we've _gotta_ fix it as soon as possible," Irleen said. "Otherwise, who knows?"

"Hey, Link," Cale said. Link peered around the column. Cale stood in the middle of a mess of broken wood. In his hands was a sheathed sword.

"That _can't_ be," Link said as he rounded the column.

"What is it?" Line asked while Link took the sword.

Link had never gotten a good look at the sword before. But, even sheathed, it was actually quite stunning. The scabbard bore a coating of azure which felt smooth to the touch. Either edge bore a gold plate molded with diagonal grooves so fine that stroking one with a fingertip reminded Link of the barbs of a feather. A strap of layered cloth with an adjustable slider had been bolted to one side, positioned so that the owner could wear it across the back. The sword's crossguard was a gold disk barely wider than a fist. Link tugged on the black, bark-like handle to discover that the crossguard was actually a thin bar with a pair of prongs that pointed parallel to the scabbard while the rest of what Link had thought was the crossguard was actually the scabbard's throat. The pommel was a gold ball on the end of a cap fitted to the bottom of the handle. Link pulled the whole blade out to reveal a lightweight sword with a straight blade of white steel.

"A white sword," Irleen said as Link looked at the curve-like figures etched into the blade near the base. "It's kind of a rare thing. This must be old."

"Looks to be in pretty good shape to me," Line commented.

Link angled the sword so Irleen could see the blade. "Is this Sorian language?" he asked.

"Hmm," was her immediate response. "It _looks_ like it, but I can't quite make it out. I don't even _recognize_ some of these letters."

"Could it be a dialect?" Cale asked.

"I _guess_ ," Irleen said. "But we don't have time to deal with this."

Link sheathed the sword and looked back at the column. "Okay, this first," he said, pointing to it. "Layna and I'll go back to the ship; I'll pick up the blues harp while I'm there. Line, Cale, and Irleen, you'll stay here. Maybe see what you can find in the library above."

"Joy," Line said with a flat voice.

"Make sure you watch each other's backs," Link warned him. "The Night is gone, but don't get comfortable about it."

"Got it, Link," Irleen said before Line could make another comment.

"Wait a minute!" Line objected. "You're just gonna leave us here _unprotected_?!"

"My Kyabtin," Layna spoke up.

Link turned to find her tapping on his sword's pommel. He glanced down. Then he told Layna, "Good point." He slung the white sword onto his right shoulder and unbuckled his sword. "Take this then," he told Line as he offered the sword.

"Why do you get to keep the cool sword?" Line whined.

"Because I'm your _captain_?" Link replied. Line put on a sour look and swiped the sword out of Link's hand.

…

With only Layna accompanying him, the journey back to the ship was much faster. Layna moved only as fast as Link, so Link was able to move at a brisk pace through the settlement and across the stone plain on the island's outskirts to the ship. Between the visit to "Logan's" house and investigating the technoworks under the library, they had burned through most of the morning and into the afternoon just a bit. Even as he boarded the _Island Symphony_ , he told himself that he would have to hustle back to the library if he wanted to return with Cale, Line, and Irleen before dark.

"Captain on-deck!" Airman Hunter called across the ship from the poop deck. Not that he needed to; Lwamm and Twali had already spotted him come aboard as they patrolled the main deck.

However, Flower would have needed to be alerted since he was on the forecastle. Link saw him jogging down the stairs and gave him time to approach before saying, "Report."

"Aye, sir," Flower replied as he came to a stop in front of Link. "The lieutenant had us change shifts at noon; we're on the night shift now. The ship's holding up well, but I think the engine room crew is getting a little stir-crazy."

"Tell them they're welcome to come up for fresh air if they need it," Link told him. "Where's Leynne at?"

"Went to bed not long after the shift change. He wanted to get some sleep before it got dark; he left me orders to wake him up at about six." He gave the island a side-nod. "What's going on out there?"

"Some of the locals were actually awake," Link told him. "Something to do with last night; I'll explain later. But we have access to the library and the technoworks underneath. We've also got a line on some rations."

Flower clapped his hands hard. "Good to hear, Captain. We going now?"

"There's supposed to be a mine or two on the other side of the island from here," Link said. "According to one of the locals, there should be some rations there. I don't know if I want to send out any more crew to take a look; I don't wanna leave the shift short. Cale and Line are already past time to switch off."

"The morning then?" Flower asked.

Link nodded. "This time tomorrow, we might be heading home. But be careful about spreading it around; we're not sure yet."

"Of course, sir."

Link indicated the port side with a hand. "Keep an eye out to port; we might be able to put another Sky Line in the air here in a couple hours."

"Gotcha," Flower told him, raising a thumbs up.

"For now, as you were."

"You got it."

As Flower headed back toward the forecastle, Layna put a hand on Link's shoulder. "My Kyabtin," she said in a low voice. "Rujun."

"Rujun?" Link asked, glancing at her over his shoulder. She nodded, her face changing to its emotionless stare. Link's eyes passed over the deck for a moment. Then he told her, "If it's Janni, you should be able to hide from it. Give it a try; let's make sure the Night isn't doing anything new." However, he found that she had disappeared before he could finish his statement. He gave the air behind him a sigh and a shake of the head before heading to his cabin.

Link took the opportunity to switch to another tunic and appropriately adjusted the belt to his Sorian white sword. It reminded him of carrying the Lokomo Sword through half of his adventure on the surface before returning to the sky. Although, as he drew it and gave it a couple of test swings in the open space in front of his desk, he found this sword to be much lighter than that sword or his own. It made him ponder if he could do the same damage as with his own sword. Then he reminded himself that he had defeated that bone monster in the technoworks with it, so it could not be bad to have a lightweight sword.

Then Link realized that, despite everything in that technoworks being an illusion made by the Night, why was it that this sword was real? Where it had been placed would be right in the way of anyone who needed to use the technoworks. Had the Sorians who had lived on this island done that? Or was it meant to be some kind of bait the Night was using? Link dismissed the second thought right away; if it had been bait, then it seemed to work _against_ the Night.

Thinking about the technoworks reminded him that he needed to bring the blues harp, so he replaced the white sword and returned to his footlocker. The blues harp was in a box underneath his dirty clothes, a small pine chest that also held the award he had received from the King of Hyrule two years ago. The blues harp was actually of Sorian origin; it had belonged to a Sorian airman named Kaheel. This steel-cased instrument with ten thin bars of emerald on top and a single, solid bar on the bottom had been abandoned so that Cunimincus' minions could not take control of the Sky Lines or the islands. Shortly thereafter, Kaheel had sacrificed himself so that Cunimincus' only other option would be to bring down Sagacity Island. Or, at least, that had been the intention Link had taken from the message Kaheel had left with the Sky Lines. Link had not used the blues harp for a while since two years ago; he had only recently used it to confirm that the other islands could see that Obeeta had existed in this direction.

He pocketed the blues harp and left the cabin. Outside, he raised a hand over his head and called out, "Let's go, Layna!" Layna dropped to the deck just before he took the gangplank back to shore. He asked her over his shoulder, "Did you manage to hide yourself?"

"Ay'a, My Kyabtin," she answered.

"Then Janni must be up and about," he said. "You don't have to worry about her; she's caught in that strange, dream place like I was last night. She can't hurt anyone."

"'Inu mimathosak, My Kyabtin."

Link gave her a small grin. She caught the look and quickly diverted her own gaze. "You really do, don't you?" he asked her in a low voice.

…

On the return trip to the library, Link decided to pick up the pace so that they could return to the ship with some daylight to spare. So he and Layna used the rooftops to move faster, jumping the gaps over the streets. This was how Layna usually traveled, especially when she was following Link in secret. Link could only keep up with her pace using his magic boots and jumping feather. Even then, once she was in her element, he had to trail her by three roofs. Once they had found the hole in the street, Link had Layna stop for a moment so that he could catch his breath.

Upon finally entering the library once more, Link followed the sound of voices down two floors. There, Cale and Irleen were consulting a book while Line hovered near the table they used, one hand resting on the borrowed sword fastened around his waist.

As he approached with Layna in tow, he raised a hand and asked, "How's it going, guys?"

"I've had better luck finding things I _wasn't_ interested in," Irleen confessed.

"Is _that_ what you were whining about?" Line asked as he rested his bottom against the railing on the edge of the floor. "All I hear is these weird sounds like some little bird calling."

"Shut up," Irleen told him.

"Wait, wait," Link said, using his raised hand to halt them from fighting. "What's the problem? Isn't this your language?"

"Not quite," Irleen confessed.

"It's possible that the Sorians on this island experienced a language shift from the Sorians we knew from Foahlight Island," Cale spoke up.

"A _what_?" Link asked.

"A language shift," Cale said. "Accohding to language theory, it is possible that, ovah time, a language separated by some type of boundary begins to shift on eithah side of that boundary until the two halves become incomprehensible."

"Oh, boy, here we go…" Line groaned to himself, rolling his eyes.

"I… don't know what you're talking about," Link admitted.

"Well, think of the difference between Hylians in the sky kingdom vehsus the suhface population," Cale said. "Ouh physical bahrieh has caused us to sound quite different from one anothah." He gestured between himself and Link as he concluded, "If we had moah time apaht from each othah, we would eventually come to not undahstand each othah at _all_."

"And you're saying that's what's happened with the Sorians _here_?" Link asked.

"Precisely," Cale said.

"So what does that do for searching this library?" Link asked.

"Well, I can still read some of these older books," Irleen said. "But… anything from the Sorians that lived here before the Night turned them into… _those_ things, I can't read."

"What about finding a magic book to change yourself back?" Link asked.

"That might take some time. It's hard to navigate this library because all the signs on the bookshelves are in the _other_ Sorian language."

Link crossed his arms and pondered a moment. Then he suggested, "Maybe I can talk to Janni."

Irleen and Cale traded a look. "The… creatuah you weah chasing last night?" Cale asked.

Link nodded. "She's been here long enough that she can read the Sorian writing in this library. Maybe I can ask her where the magic books' shelf is."

"It would help," Irleen said. "The book itself should be old enough that I can read it, but we'd have to look at every title in this library to find it on our own. We don't have that kinda time, do we."

Link shook his head. "As soon as we have those rations and a return Sky Line, we're gone. The rations can wait another day, but I'd like to put that Sky Line out there so we have something to look forward to."

"No argument here," Irleen said as she rose from the table.

"Let's go," Link said, using a wave to invite Cale and Line along.

From the library back into the depths of the technoworks was much more silent. But then, they also moved faster now that they knew with a reasonable amount of certainty that there was nothing explicitly dangerous about the technoworks. The only thing to hold them up was Cale's slow pace descending the ladder to the bottom level, reminding Link and Line about his latent fear of heights. Once in the control room, the three boys cleared the space in between the columns of what remained of the box that had been holding the Sorian white sword.

Link then took his appropriate place in between the columns. After all this time, he had memorized the single note that started the interactions between him and the technoworks. He pulled the note on the blues harp and watched as blue particles came into existence on the undamaged column. As the note continued to sound, the blue particles formed words of the Sorian script familiar to him, although their meaning was lost.

After the undamaged column was finished providing a bulleted list, attention shifted to the column pulsing red. The column's surface flinched and wavered. The blue particles that were trying to gather together remained clouds of scattered pieces, completely unable to form a coherent shape.

"So far," Irleen said, "not so good."

"Well, let's fix it and try it out," Link said.

"Right. Cale, the circle next to the word 'health'. Push that one."

"Okay," Cale said as he touched a forefinger to the column right on top of the last bullet on the list. The list glowed white before disappearing.

Link looked down to see a circle of blue light form on the floor under him. Well, it was _almost_ a circle; in front of him, the circle jerked and shook where it intersected a red portion of floor. Irleen failed to comment, so Link looked to the blues harp. The ten emeralds on the top surface gave a soft glow in a pattern that Link recognized as a song to be played, each note corresponding to the hole beneath it. It shifted from the front of the emerald to the back, showing where Link needed to pull and blow. Link had never learned how to read music, but this method of playing was much simpler. After allowing the sequence of notes to play out on the blues harp three times, Link placed his lips on the blues harp and began to play.

This piece was different from what he had come to expect when controlling other technoworks. Not that there was such a thing as consistency between technoworks; each technoworks seemed to have its own preference in musical emotion. A couple had had a sort of upbeat, casual feel, while some other songs could be mournful and depressing. This technoworks felt like it had a gleeful side to its chosen song of recovery. Well, Link decided that maybe "gleeful" was not the right word. It was more like a celebration. He had to admit a certain amount of sympathy for it. It had been a pretty rough four days since arriving at Obeeta. Doing this comforted him, especially since it put him and his crew one whole step closer to returning home.

While he played, the technoworks released a crumbling sound around him and his crew. The red areas that had been harmed changed to white stone for a brief moment before taking on the orange and yellow swirls of color of the surrounding, healthy technoworks. Some of the gashes in the floor and walls pulled themselves together during the white stone state. They closed into an uninterrupted continuation of the technoworks around them, their disappearance seeming to deny that they had existed in the first place. During his second playing of the song, the technoworks all around them began to shine with white light. He continued through three more plays before he stopped.

He and his group turned to the damaged column. While its normal colors had returned, craning to see around the column still showed the blackened technoworks on the inside of the large gash. Before Irleen could even say anything, Link pulled on the note to trigger the technoworks again. To his relief, a clear list formed on the damaged column.

"Oh, no…" Irleen then groaned as she fluttered closer to the column.

"What?" Line asked. But Link could already see where this was going. Only two of the six items on the list glowed blue. The other four were outlined in purple light. He had seen this once before on Bold Island. The technoworks there had been manipulated so that only one person could control them: a Sorian Grey named Lutock. He had taken control of the technoworks so that Cunimincus' minions could not and had gone on to slaughter them using the technoworks themselves. Link and Layna had had to work their way through the traps he had set and discovered that he had locked out some of the technoworks' abilities until Irleen had instructed Link on releasing the technoworks. Those locked abilities had appeared as purple letters as well.

"This can't be right," Irleen told the group. "There shouldn't be _anything_ stopping us from making another Sky Line."

"You mean there _is_?" Line asked.

"What can we do about it?" Link asked, one hand held out to silence Line.

"We need to find where the interference is coming from," Irleen said as she moved back to the other column. "Cale. The circle with 'pulse' next to it. Push that one."

Cale did as she had instructed, and bands of blue light emerged from the words on the list. They swirled around the columns upward to the ceiling. Then they crawled across the ceiling and to the wall directly in front of the columns. They darkened into a large, malformed shape which Link could tell was supposed to be Obeeta from the top (having had a fair idea of the shape of the island from the ride in the _Conductor_ two days ago). From there, squares of contrasting colors formed inside the larger shape. Squares that occupied part of the island near the center and directed upward were filled with green coloring. Two similar shapes on the right and bottom regions of the island, as well as a large square on the left side, were filled in with purple light instead.

"You _must_ be joking," Irleen moaned.

"What is it?" Cale asked.

"Well, the area in green is this technoworks," Irleen explained, moving to the map so that she could indicate the different spots as she talked. She circled the green squares for a moment. "These technoworks show that everything is working fine." She then started moving between the purple areas. "These are other technoworks on this island. In order to get another Sky Line to form, we need to find out what is jamming up these technoworks and clear it out."

"What could be jamming them?" Cale asked.

"I bet _I_ know," Link said.

"You're right," Irleen said. "Whatever this 'Night' thing is, it's somehow infected the technoworks like a disease. I doubt if this one looked any better until Link explored down here."

"So you're saying… uh… I don't get it," Line said, his confusion prevalent in his voice and posture.

"Whatever it is that happens when Link sleeps near that shield," Irleen explained, "it has an effect on the Night. In order to get out of here, Link is going to have to clear out _all_ of the technoworks so we can make them build another Sky Line."

"Oh, so that's what you're saying," Line groaned. "Well how long is _that_ gonna take?"

"And do we have the time?" Cale added.

Link nodded as he studied the map. "I think we will," he said. He pointed to the purple technoworks on the right. "I bet that one is the one connected to the river on the east side. If it was anything like the Night in _this_ technoworks, I should be able to clear it up tonight."

"That will be a long way to travel on foot," Cale observed.

"There's a house we broke into on the outskirts near the ship," Link said. "I'll just fall asleep there so I won't have to walk all the way from the ship." He turned and nodded an invite toward the exit. "C'mon, let's get word back to the ship."


	23. Phobetor, Ker, and the Algea

Chapter 23: Phobetor, Ker, and the Algea

…

Well, Link had _said_ that they were going back to the ship, but, at Cale's insistence, he allowed Cale and Irleen to look about the shelves for a few more moments in the hope that Irleen could find some books that she could study. It proved rather fruitless; only a few of the books on the lower level were in a language she understood, and the titles on the scrolls fooled her into thinking that the contents were also readable. Cale left carrying one book under his arm: a brief history of the island still written in a language she could understand.

They returned to the _Island Symphony_ just as dusk was ending, forcing the crew to switch on the electric lamps built into the bulwark. Link dismissed the group so that they could get some sleep. As Cale and Line walked away, Leynne approached him.

"Report?" Link asked with an air of exhaustion, the day's walking catching up to him.

"All sound, Captain," Leynne replied. "The night shift hasn't repohted anything unusual. Except maybe watching Chief Sello lick one of his crates of liquoh."

"At least he's trying to keep the engine room clean," Irleen commented as she hovered a slow circle above Link's head.

"Misteh Randy made the same comment," Leynne said. He cleared his throat and continued, "Misteh Floweh mentioned that we might have anotheh Sky Line in the aih tonight."

"Yeah, we've… run into a snag," Link said. "The technoworks here won't let us produce another Sky Line. There's a large creature inhabiting the technoworks; the locals called it the 'Night'."

"Inhabiting the technowohks?" Leynne repeated. He glanced out at the island. "Could it be that this is the creatuh that had separated us from the island?"

"Without a doubt," Link said. "Bring Flower to my cabin; we have some things to go over."

A few minutes later, Link and Irleen were joined by Leynne and Flower. Link explained everything he could about the "dream" he had experienced, including Janni, the Night, his exploration of the technoworks and its effects this morning, and the visit they had had with "Logan". He could tell that Flower was struggling with comprehension, having not had the same encounters with the miraculous and the dangerous as Link's surface-born crew (barring the encounters with Cunimincus). Leynne had kept his mind open to the ideas and asked questions to make sure he understood what Link was talking about.

After Link had finished talking about what happened in the library, Leynne summed everything up with, "So. We'h in trouble again."

Flower, sitting on Link's footlocker, heaved a sigh and said, "Trouble seems to follow drunks, lunatics, and airships named _Island Symphony_."

"Does that mean the crew is doubly hampehed?" Leynne asked, taking a brief interest in something on the floor in front of Link's desk.

"Sure feels like it."

"Is the crew holding up all right?" Link asked.

"So fah," Leynne said.

"You telling them to come up for air seemed to help," Flower added. "Beech told me Geordie's still getting on his nerves."

"Just remind them that anyone who acts up gets sent to Dholit," Link said. "Leynne, I wanna arrange for some crew to take the _Conductor_ to the north side of the island tomorrow morning, see if they can find those mines."

"Do you think these rations will still be edible afteh all this time?" Leynne asked.

"It's the only lead on food we have," Link told him. "You could test them."

"So," Flower said, "we're looking at… what, a few more days? With nightmares and a killer monster loose on the island?"

"Not exactly loose," Link said. "If I understood Janni right, it only goes as far as the mist it uses. So far, it seems like it prefers to stay underground."

"Not quite, Link," Irleen spoke up, rising from her bed. She moved to hover over Link's desk. "Remember the tower?"

Link rubbed a hand over his mouth, slightly embarrassed about forgetting that detail. "Right…" he moaned.

"What it comes down to," Leynne said, "is that the safest place is likely the south side of the island."

"But… not the ship," Flower concluded with a hesitant voice.

"Well, if we've truly sehved ouhselves up on a platteh, it would hahdly be in the Night's interests to sink this vessel," Leynne pointed out. "All the same, though, its show of poweh _does_ make the ship a little dangerous."

"I don't think we have much option no matter _where_ we are," Link pointed out.

"Unless we're gone," Flower added.

"Well, whatever the option, I'd like to try something different," Link said. "I wanna use the small house on the outskirts of the settlement for the night."

"You intend to use the shield theh so you can reach the next technowohks in plenty of time," Leynne reasoned.

"Right."

However, Leynne shook his head. "Link, this time, I _must_ insist that you remain heh."

"Why?" Link asked, a little perplexed.

"I would prefeh if you weh neahby in case something happens," Leynne explained. "The Obeetans may be hahmless, but it isn't necessarily _them_ that is the concehn anymoh. I would like to believe that the Night would not dah to hahm you while you sleep, but we cannot be suh if you ah not aboahd. You'll have no one watching if you go ashoh; it will have to find its way past the deck crew if you remain."

"I could take someone along," Link suggested.

"Not while the crew is still trying to keep awake at nights," Leynne said. Link looked taken aback for a moment, indicating to Leynne that his tone had been a little forceful. He shook his head. " _Captain_. While remaining on the island to shohten youh trip would be a decent idea, I strongly feel that this is not the night to try something new. The crew has yet to find a method to remain awake at nights, making watching you _sleep_ out of the question. This is in addition to my concehns that the Night may decide to do something to youh sleeping body while you exploh."

"Like what?" Link asked.

Leynne paused for a moment. Then he said, "I do not know. But consideh this. You've explained that you eradicated the Night's presence from the technowohks undeh the library, right?"

Link nodded. "Yeah."

"Ah you cehtain that theh won't be any repehcussions foh this?"

Link put on a worried look. He had not considered that. Who was to say how the Night would respond to him removing part of it from the technoworks? He had to concede the point to Leynne. "Okay," he said. "Okay, I can see what you mean."

"Not that it matters too much," Flower spoke up, "but I agree with the lieutenant. On top of being our captain, you're also the only one who knows how to use the technoworks." Irleen cleared her throat. Without flinching, Flower amended, "You're one of only two people who know how to use the technoworks. In fact, you shouldn't be going out at night, _even_ in your sleep. Someone else should do it."

"Who would you suggest?" Link asked with a slight challenge indicated in his tone. Flower adjusted his seat, looking uncomfortable.

"The one with the most experience," Leynne answered instead, his voice taking a hard edge as well. Link turned to him to see that Leynne had crossed his arms. "That is you, undeniably."

"Right," Link replied.

"But you can affohd to use some common sense, Link," Leynne told him as he softened his features a bit. "One oh two people in a small house is a pooh way to be caught by the Night if it decides to hahm you pehsonally. The crew can betteh see to youh safety. And we have the option of moving away if things get too dangerous."

Link sighed and rested an elbow on the desk so that he could plant his chin in his hand. Then he nodded and said, "Okay. I'll stay here. But one of the technoworks is on the other side of the island; it might be harder to reach."

"We can focus on that lateh," Leynne said. "Tonight, you should prepah foh the riveh."

"One more thing, Leynne," Irleen spoke up. "When the crew is looking at the mines, they should also see if there's any access to the technoworks down there. We know there's another part in that area."

"Noted," Leynne replied. "Anything else?"

"Yeah," Link said. "If anyone finds the Night, that black substance we've been finding? They need to leave as soon as possible and report back."

"Because of consequences we'h only vague on," Leynne said with a nod. "Agreed, though I _will_ add that this 'Janni' creatuh sounds to be a bit of a loon."

"Maybe," Link said. "But she seems to think it's more fun to tell the truth, no matter how horrible it is." Then he shook his head and amended, " _Because_ of how horrible it is."

"Don't discount omission, though," Leynne said as he signaled Flower to rise from the footlocker.

Link nodded. "Let me know when the Obeetans come out; that's when the Night will be up, too."

"Undehstood." Link gave one final nod, and Leynne and Flower left the cabin.

"This is gonna be a long night," Irleen commented as she drifted back toward her bed.

"Has the Night been getting to you?" Link asked her as he opened the lower-left drawer of his desk.

"Doesn't have to," Irleen said. "Wherever I sleep, someone screaming wakes me up. I even tried going down to the lowest deck, but I could still hear people in the galley. I think I might've even heard someone from the engine room."

Link shook his head as he removed the ship's logbook from the drawer. "That's not a good sign," he commented. "The engine crew needs to stay awake. I'm hoping that this new rotation scheme will help iron things out." After sliding the drawer shut, he opened the logbook. He turned to last night's entry and reread the part talking about Princess Zelda meeting him in his latest dream. It gave him an idea, so he looked up and asked, "Hey, Irleen? Is it possible that we're dealing with _Sorian_ magic?"

Irleen looked left and right. Then she gave a sigh. "I don't know, Link," she admitted. "If we'd met long before all this happened, I'd've said no. But… between Zelda and Lutock, I'm inclined to believe that it's possible. Still, where would something like the Night even _come_ from? I just can't figure it out. There _shouldn't_ be anything in Sorian literature that could cause this sort of problem. Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"Well… I wonder if there's something in _this_ library that could have produced the Night. The problem is that it means that the library back home was incomplete. I don't see how; that library was larger than this one."

Link nodded. "I remember."

"But this all just boils down to mindless speculation. And I'm getting too tired for that."

Link allowed a grin to rise to his face. "I don't blame you. I'll be in the dream soon, so you should be able to sleep here without a problem."

"I don't know if I really like this whole arrangement," she confessed as she finally settled into her bed. "Where exactly do you stand when you're both asleep and awake?"

"If it's _Zelda_ doing it, that could be _anywhere_ ," he answered, his grin growing.

"Oh, wipe that look off your face," she told him. "I'm being serious. And _you_ better be careful. There's no telling what that shield is doing to you."

"I'll remember that," Link replied as he reached for the pen sitting at the front of his desk. He dipped it into an inkwell for a moment before he began writing.

"9/21, Expedition Day 39.

"Last night, I fell asleep with the shield nearby. I found myself awake back in the real world, but no one could see or hear me. Somehow, the shield is capable of sending any person who sleeps nearby into a dream-like world which closely looks like our own. I found part of the Night there and fought it off. Now we have access to the control room of the closest technoworks. The bad news is that the Night has to be removed from the other technoworks on the island in order to use the technoworks to change the Sky Lines. I think I can clear out the technoworks connected to the river, but that'll take longer. And we'll have to find the other technoworks as we explore; it can't be as easy as unclogging one more technoworks.

"In the meantime, we now know what the Night is, thanks to Janni. She's apparently been on this island for a while, but she still comes across as kinda childish. And maybe a little insane? She definitely has a dark sense of humor. But who is she really? She doesn't look at all like a Sorian. The fact that she can read Sorian suggests that she couldn't be Hylian. I've wondered if she might be something that lived here before the Sorians, but what could that be? Would there have been some other race living in Sorian lands before they brought them up to the sky? I guess I could try asking her.

"One thing's for certain: my crew is in danger. If the Night keeps up its activities, my crew could eventually wind up like the Obeetans. But that's only if they stay, which is why the sooner we leave, the better. I'm hoping that, with the changes we've made to the shift rotations, we might be able to avoid allowing anyone to sleep when the Night wakes up. But if the Night is using magic to put my crew to sleep, I don't know what can be done. If we're lucky, my eradicating the Night from the closest technoworks will lessen the effect it can have on my crew. They're getting a little tense. The engine crew is especially problematic; being down in that engine room for twelve hours probably isn't all that fun. Even worse, some of them have been pranking each other. I've already given them as much warning as possible. I really hope they take it to heart; we can't afford to have them start fighting now. I've been trying to keep my crew informed of what's going on, but, I have to admit, if we were going through the same thing with Dad in charge, I don't think I'd be very understanding."

Link looked over the entry for a bit. After deciding that he could not think of anything to add, he left the book out to let the ink finish drying. Irleen had fallen silent, so he stood up and walked to the door to switch off the light.

…

"Captain, the Obeetans ah awake."

Link let out a burst of breath and rolled toward the bulkhead. "Great, Leynne," he groaned. "I'll… get right back to sleep."

"Oh… you… you'h already gone, ahn't you," Leynne said.

"I'm _working_ on it." The next thing Link heard was the door shut, and he sat up to cast it a confused look.

"AH-HAHAHAHA!"

"Yikes!" Link flung himself against the bulkhead at the sound of high-pitched laughter coming from his desk. This only caused Janni, little more than a shadow sitting on his desk, to laugh harder. Link had to take a moment to realize it was her and that he was sleeping again. "Oh, _stop_ it; it wasn't that funny."

"That was a _riot_!" Janni told him. "Poor Captain Link of the _Island Symphony_. Can't tell when he's asleep or awake."

"Grow up," Link said as he moved to the edge of the bed.

"Is that an order, _Captain_?" Janni asked, her voice smooth with challenge.

"Now you're just making fun of me," Link replied as he stood up. He walked to the door and flipped on the light switch. Although the bulb seemed dimmer than usual, Link was glad to see that he didn't have to rifle around in the dark. He turned around.

And he immediately froze.

Whom he had first taken to be Janni was someone completely different. She was a tall woman with a curvy and well-endowed body hidden beneath a tight sweater and navy-blue slacks. The sweater bore thick, horizontal stripes of black and red, and she wore leather boots that rose up to her kneecap. Her skin was deep brown and, along with flowing black hair, provided a contrast that made her sharp, amber eyes glow. She folded her hands behind her back and then arched her back, causing her chest to protrude more.

"Is _this_ better?" she asked, her voice lower and lustful.

Link's perception of her, while driving his hormones absolutely insane, caused him to compare her to Dholit. Down to the lack of subtlety in the way she tried to grasp his attention. Dholit irritated him. So he clapped his jaw closed and glared at her for a moment. "You're beginning to annoy me."

The beautiful woman disappeared into a pop and puff of black smoke. Once the smoke subsided, Janni was standing in her place with her hands on her hips. "You're no fun today," she said with a slight pout in her voice.

"Go have a laugh with an Obeetan," Link told her as he opened his footlocker. "I've got work to do."

"You're not going back into the Night, are you?"

"The river is my next destination," Link replied as he pulled out the belt he kept just for his boomerang.

"You can't."

"Why not?" Link asked just before raising his gaze.

He found Janni giving him a concerned look. It caught him by surprise, and it showed on his face. Janni became conscious of her appearance and steeled her features. "Link. The Night is _pissed_. You didn't even _feel_ the island shake after what you did last night, did you?"

"No, I didn't."

"Whatever you did last night was _not_ good. You actually _hurt_ it. I don't know how, but you did. And what do you think the Night is gonna do about it?"

"It can't stop me," Link said as he pulled the white sword onto his back.

"That's what it wants." Link stopped partway through closing the footlocker to look at her. "It _wants_ you to come to it. It's gonna make _you_ hurt. And it's gonna make _you_ suffer in _any_ way possible."

Link stared at her for a moment. Then he slammed the footlocker shut. "You think you're gonna frighten me away from this?" he asked in a heated tone.

"Better me than _it_."

"My crew is in danger," Link replied. "It has to do better than throw a temper tantrum."

"It can, Link. It can, and it _will_."

Link narrowed his eyes. "You know, you seem to be… a little concerned about me."

Janni huffed and crossed her arms. "Fine. You wanna take it that way? I just thought how much I _loooved_ talking to someone and have them actually _talk back_."

Link's look softened. "You mean… you don't get to talk to anyone else?"

Janni glared at him. "Wipe that _stupid_ look off your face," she told him in a venomous tone. This caused Link to change to a surprised expression. "You don't have to repeat me; you make it sound like you're rubbing it in. _Yes_ , I don't talk to anyone else. Who else am I supposed to talk to? Why don't you just stop playing the tough guy and _listen_ , stupid?"

Link's brow furrowed again as he told her, "I _am_ listening. But I still have a job to do."

"Well _this_ is a job you should walk away from!"

They stared at each other, both completely out of words. Link's chest pounded, and he felt his attention to Janni withdraw as he took in a deep breath. He closed his eyes and stood up straight to regain his composure.

But when he opened his eyes, Janni had disappeared. He glanced around the room just to be sure she was not playing with him, uncertain of her sincerity as he was. After concluding that she had left, he stepped to the head of his bed and picked up the shield. He put it on and looked at the symbol on the back again. He wondered if there might have been others like her trapped in objects around the island. His thoughts dwelled on the reasons for imprisoning someone for so long. Cunimincus and his crew, Link could understand. But what did _Janni_ do? Could she have been some kind of criminal? Or did someone just hate her? What was she like before she was placed in this shield? Link glanced out the window for a moment. Then he turned and left once he reminded himself that he was running out of time to take care of the part of Night living in the river.

…

Even in his dreams, Link found that he could not get around well. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop to traverse the settlement felt like it took more energy than when he and Layna were going to the library. It was only another oddity in a long list of strange things he had noticed ever since he had returned to the sky kingdom two years ago. After he had recovered on the surface after the _Island Sonata_ had crashed, Link had felt like he could have run for hours and not be fatigued. Not that it had ever seemed to do his muscles any good. But once he had started dealing with Cunimincus and his crew in the sky, it had felt harder to move around. Despite receiving some endurance training from Layna, he could only move as well as her with the equipment he had found on the surface. Every poor landing he made once he started around the middle of the island added to his decision to let Layna give him what Dholit had referred to as "deprivation" training. It certainly sounded a little less scary now that he and his crew were being subjected to the whim of a literal monster of nightmares.

While he knew where he was, he soon found that locating the river was a little more difficult than he had expected. In a manner he could not understand, he had failed to locate the large street under which the river had been buried. He thought it would have been obvious as he traveled; even if the rest of the streets in the east had been just as wide, the sealed wells would have given it away. He had to stop atop a circular building about halfway between the central tower and the eastern edge of the settlement. He made a single jump into the air to locate the _Island Symphony_. Unfortunately, he discovered that the pulsing lights moving along the outskirts obscured the ship at this distance.

So he rested on the edge of the building, looking out over the streets nearby. He could not believe he had not found the river. He tried to recall the area where they had anchored the _Conductor_ , but he realized that he could not remember if they had actually anchored it to a building or just grounded it with sandbags. Adding to his problem was the fact that these buildings in this area were just as tarnished with dream-graffiti as the south, right down to the scrawling of disturbing words and phrases all over. He could not help griping to himself that the nearby Obeetans could at least try to look different. As he watched them, he wished that they could be a different color rather than that eerie ethereal white under their cloaks.

Then Link stared wide-eyed at a building on a nearby corner. He had not noticed it since he had been lost in his own thoughts, but now that he was watching, he realized that the Obeetans, ever vigilant of their direction despite lacking comprehension of their surroundings, were walking into and out of the building as if it was not even there. No hesitation, no avoiding it. They were just stepping through like it was made of air.

Link frowned at the building and pushed himself off the edge to drop down into the street. Now that he was on the same level, he saw that some of the Obeetans were walking through buildings directly across from the one he had just been sitting on. Even more were exiting one building, crossing the adjoining street, and stepping into the next. Link crossed to the closest building. He held up one hand and slowly reached out.

His hand passed into the wall.

And then the building disappeared, its fading from existence heralded by a whisper of air. Link was caught off-guard by the number of people that had been walking through the building before it had disappeared.

And at the center of that crowd, staring at him from between dozens of robes, was Janni.

Link narrowed his glare in annoyance and stepped through the crowd to confront her. "Did you do that?" he asked over the Obeetan's insane chatter.

Janni was unresponsive at first, almost as if she was trying to look like an emotionless statue. Then she tilted her head and grinned at him. "Yep!" was her response.

"Why?" Link asked. "Are you trying to stop me?"

"Why should I?" Janni asked. "You're going down into the Night again. I'd _love_ to see how it deals with you."

"Wasn't your attitude _earlier_ ," Link pointed out. Janni opened her arms wide and shrugged as if to say "You know I like to change my mind". So Link indicated the nearby fake building. "Why the illusion?"

"I just thought you'd like to know how in control you _really_ are," Janni told him. She waved a hand goodbye at the building, and Link turned to watch many of the nearby buildings fade away to nothingness.

He then saw the street's total width, its brick structure, and the way it wound around buildings in either direction. He had not lost the river at all; he was standing on it right _now_!

"Do you really think that the Night can't reach you here?" Janni asked. "You're in a _dream_ , Link. A waking dream based on the real world. You will _never_ be safe here."

"I'm not standing in its miasma," Link pointed out.

"I never said that you _had_ to be standing in its miasma," Janni said. "Think of it this way. This whole island is like being under the Night's eye and fist. Its miasma is like walking its skin. And its darkness, well…" She giggled as she tilted her upper body side to side. "It like walking into its _mouth_."

Link heaved a sigh and glanced around. "Leynne's right; you omit things."

"I think of it more like saving it for a surprise."

"I suppose you _would_." He turned back to her. "If the _Night_ can manipulate things out here, how come _you_ can, too?" Janni, instead of answering, raised her hands and bumped her wrists together. Link glanced down at the shield still strapped to his arm. "The shield? How is that possible? It's supposed to be you _prison_."

"By _your_ interpretation, maybe," Janni told him. She started walking in a slow circle around him. "That shield was probably meant to _be_ just a shield at one point. Or maybe it was meant to be more than that from the beginning. The only person who could really tell you is the person who made it."

"And who was _that_?"

Janni stopped. Link had to spin so that he was not twisting his neck just to look at her standing behind him. She met his confusion with a toothy smile. "The Dreamweaver. He was a powerful mage who used his wisdom and magic to change dreams at will. To those he trusted and _loved_ , he granted satisfying and powerful dreams, those which you wouldn't want to wake from again."

"And let me guess," Link said as he looked down at the shield. "If he _didn't_ like you, you got banished into an object."

Janni's grin appeared to Link to turn snide. "Life can be sick and cruel like that," she told him.

Link glanced around the empty street. "Right," he said. "Speaking of sick and cruel, I need to find that open well." He turned to her. "You aren't gonna stop me, are you?"

"If you get stopped," she replied, "it isn't gonna be _my_ doing."

"I know," he said more to himself as he turned away from the tower in the direction he was sure the open well was. But, before he started walking, he glanced around. "Where'd all the Obeetans go?"

Janni clapped her hands once. The strong sound preceded a sudden onslaught of noise and bodies as the Obeetans popped into existence all at once, their movement unperturbed by their lack of being for that time that Link and Janni had been talking. He could hear Janni cackling as he overcame his shock and started pressing through the crowd.

Instead of walking along the winding main road, Link cut through the side roads so that he was travelling almost due east. And he decided to keep to the roads because his legs were getting too tired from having jumped roofs earlier. He could not tell what time it was, but his best estimate was that he only had the early morning left to remove the Night from the river's technoworks so that he could restore them later.

He found the open well after cutting through the smaller roads twice and then following the river street to its next curve. The Obeetans appeared to avoid this area like they had around the library's opening. The few that dared to walk toward the well would scream exactly as they had at the library. Link had to admit that, much to his concern, he was getting used to watching the Obeetans' tortured reaction.

Once he stood just within reach of the well, he made an observation. "The rope's gone."

Janni faded into view in front of him and rested, cross-legged, on the edge of the well. "You don't say," she teased.

Link located a hole in the brick road. "Here's where Gold drove the stake in," he said as he pointed. "Did it just pull the rope in?"

"Seems pretty evident to _me_ ," Janni said as she rocked side to side.

"No, I mean is it _actually_ gone, or is this just an illusion?" Link asked, giving her an annoyed look.

"Does it matter? You're in a dream. And the dream says the rope is gone."

Link raised an eyebrow. "I thought you liked telling the truth since it's so horrible," he said with a sly grin of his own. "Are you seriously not gonna tell me whether the rope is gone from reality or not?"

Janni broke out into a laugh as she flopped onto her side. She moaned as she stretched her arms and legs. Then she used an arm to prop her head up as she relaxed across the well's lip. "I feel like you're actually getting to know me, Link. It's a surprise, especially since you seem so ignorant of it half the time. You're right to ask, of course. Yes, the Night took the rope. It went missing the night after you and sly-dark-and-quiet went down to look around."

"So it _won't_ just take people," Link said as he glanced down at the hole again. "We'll have to keep our equipment with us."

"I guess it shouldn't be much of a surprise," Janni mused. "Your friend Line was the only one who ever noticed that the books you and he threw at the Night in the library disappeared."

"Wait a minute," Link said. He had to pause as another Obeetan walked up behind Janni and screamed. Then he said, "Layna can tell when someone is watching even _from_ this dream. How could you have watched us exploring?"

Janni just grinned wider. "I didn't say she never caught me. But she _does_ have to live with the Night watching her every night. Every time she turns on me, she sees nothing for a few seconds and goes back to work. If you paid any attention to her, you'd know she was reacting to me."

Link sighed and raked a hand through his hair. Then he looked at his hand, and then up at his brow. "I forgot my hat."

Janni giggled. "Just when I think _I'm_ bad at focusing on things…"

"Yeah, well, in case you hadn't noticed," Link told her, "I haven't been getting much sleep lately." He stepped toward the well and waved his hand as if to shoo her away. "I need you to move; I'm going in."

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Janni teased as she floated up and away from the well.

Link placed a foot on the well and hauled himself up. When he looked inside, he realized that the liquid-like miasma he had seen before was absent from the mouth of the well. Instead, he looked down into a room covered in gold light. He took in a breath. He knew how deep this well was, and he hoped that his boots, even though he had yet to test their true limits, would stop his fall at least a little so he would not break his legs. Even though this was only a dream, he still remembered how much the dislocated shoulder he had received last night had hurt once he had awoke. He steeled himself and gave a little hop to start his descent.

The air as it rose around him gave him a familiar rush, reminding him of the aftermath of his fight with Cunimincus. For a moment, he was suddenly filled with the dread that he might actually get killed falling as he was.

Then, as quickly as it had hit him, it disappeared once his feet hit the ground. He bent his knees to help cushion the shock to his legs, but the fall was still powerful enough to force him to plant his right hand on the floor to stop himself. There was a loud _klang_ as the Dreamweaver's Shield hit the floor. He still felt a flood of pain from the impact; there was no denying the rough landing. However, he did not need long to recover.

"Whew!" he said aloud as he stood up. "I'm glad I found these boots."

"Why, Link," Janni said as she descended, already changed into her green-glowing black fairy form. "You talk like you expected me to follow you."

Link looked around at what was once a cavern with a stream flowing through it. The Night had replaced it with gold tiling on the floor and gold bricks in the walls. The walls were much closer than he remembered. And, rather than having to carry his own torch, wooden torches already lit had been mounted to the walls in iron brackets. Suits of armor stood nearby, each one with the visor open to present their vacancy while their gauntlets rested on a massive sword with the point fused to the pedestal they stood on. Not of particular surprise to Link, the suits, swords, and pedestals were also made of gold.

"You have somewhere else to be while _this_ is happening?" Link asked as he craned his neck to look around the curve ahead. As far as he could tell, the walls still followed the cavern's original formation.

"You _are_ getting to know me!" Janni replied with what sounded like genuine delight. Link could not help smiling; it had been the happiest she had ever sounded without being morbid at the same time.

"Well," Link said. "I guess we should see if the Night found a way to block me from the technoworks." He began walking in the direction he knew to be "up-river". "It's already keeping me in this narrow space."

"Not a lot of space to move," Janni agreed.

Link looked a statue up and down as he walked by it. "I wonder what theme it was going for with the whole 'gold hallway' thing."

"Now I just feel like you're taking my only job in this little friendship of ours."

Link grinned to himself.

 _Klink._

Then he stopped at the sound of metal on metal. The only reason he heard it was likely because it occurred in between his own echoing footsteps.

Then his vision spun. His mind turned to fog as he felt the sensation of falling once again. He pondered at the feeling, at a loss as to what was causing it but perfectly calm about it. _Fwump! Tump!_ The second sound was louder. His eyes swam just as he realized that his head had struck something. He reasoned that it was the cause of the second sound.

Things stopped moving around him after a few seconds. His eyes finally settled on a peculiar sight.

A headless form wearing his tunic, his trousers, and even his new sword.

Link blinked, and he found himself in the dark. The entirety of his body gave barely a shiver at first.

And then he opened his mouth into a blood-curdling scream, high-pitched and very much audible to the people outside, as his hands grasped for the searing pain in his neck.


	24. Retribution of Horn

Chapter 24: Retribution of Horn

…

His screaming had caught the attention of the deck crew. Within seconds, the door to his cabin was flat on the floor, and about a dozen hands grabbed his screaming, writhing form. Link could not even tell who had responded; both Geltoan and Hylian voices mingled as all involved tried to ask him questions. He barely realized that they had dragged him out of his cabin. All he could focus on was what had happened in the dream, made much clearer in his waking mind. His crew held his hands restrained, and this only caused Link to panic further. He thought his head was going to come off. It was not just a lingering impression from the dream, though; Link could feel real, physical pain across his neck and struggled against his crew to use his hands to hold his head on.

His thrashing caused a couple crewmembers to lose their footing as they moved down some stairs. Link nearly got loose until someone pinned him in place. His eyes were open, but he was so focused on trying to keep his head on that he did not see who or what was right in front of him. In minutes he was restrained again and moving against his will. He could only perceive that he was going down, and he fell into a fit of screaming incoherent things in addition to trying to hit anything nearby. His crew stumbled again, causing more people nearby to holler as they pinned Link to the deck a second time. Link felt something sting his left upper arm and reached his other hand across to grab it. They picked him up again, giving Link freedom to thrash about once more. Voices started making their way through to him a little clearer, although he had yet to identify anyone. Then fatigue started taking over. He felt himself pinned down again and tried to spur himself into another fit. But his head was clouding up; he could not remember what he was fighting in the first place. Once pressure lifted off his front, he found that he simply did not have the will to move and stared up at a bright light focused on his face.

"So where'd the mark come from?" a male voice asked from nearby.

"We don't know," answered another, this one sounding a little higher-pitched. Link thought he recognized the accent. "Is it serious? I mean does it mean he's in dangeh?"

"Seemed vital enough," the first voice said. "My first impression was inflammation, but that was before the color change. I'd say now that it's some kind of bruise."

"In a fine cihcle around his neck," the second male said, its voice harsh with skepticism.

"I'd always thought there'd be some mystery to caring for the crew of the famous _Island Symphony_. Looks like my wish came true."

" _Doctoh_."

"Oh, _calm_ down, Number Two. If he was in any danger, you'd've had me go up to his cabin rather than bring him down here. The fact is, if he's able to struggle all the way here, the best I can see is just having a bruise."

"He was screaming his _head_ was coming off," a third voice spoke up, sounding gruff. "Could this have something to do with that dreaming thing the chief was telling us about?"

"I cannot help but wondeh," the second voice said.

It was about then when Link's mind started clearing up. His right hand closed around thick blankets over the surface he was lying on. He took in a deep breath, smelling a cleanliness one could only find at a clinic or hospital. There was only one place on the ship where those two sensations could be.

The sick bay.

The tall, narrow form of Doctor Nester's head blocked out the light above. Link could barely make out the stubble on his jaw and short, scraggly hair long gone grey. "Good morning, Captain," he said with a friendly tone despite always reminding Link of some of the horrible drunks he had met throughout his life.

Link had to blink as his eyes tried to adjust to the shadow his ship's surgeon was casting. "It can't be _morning_ ," he groaned.

"Neah to half-one." The response was followed by a distinct metal click as Nester moved out of the way. Link turned his head to find Leynne standing next to Nester's desk, pocketwatch in hand. "You've been awake foh little oveh half an houh."

Link grunted and rubbed a hand over his drowsy eyes. "Report," he said.

"The ship is sound, but the _crew_ is half scahed out of its mind," Leynne replied. "We had to drag you screaming from youh cabin."

Link swung his legs over the side of the bed to sit up. Vertigo hit him, and he grabbed the metal support bar near the head of the small bed. "Whoa…"

"That's probably the tranquilizer I gave you, Captain," Nester said. "It oughta wear off soon."

Link looked around and realized that those two were not the only ones in the sick bay with him. Airmen Hunter, Lwamm, Gillam, and Layna stood in front of the sick bay door, eyes locked on their captain. "You _all_ had to drag me?" Link asked Leynne.

"You weh hysterical," Leynne told him. "That is what caught ouh attention fihst. Kicking, screaming… it sounded as if you weh afraid you'd lost youh head, and not in a metaphoric sense."

Link took in a deep breath. He felt his neck sting and quickly put a hand over his throat. He remembered Leynne and Nester discussing some kind of mark, so he stood up. He stepped in front of the wash basin next to the head of the bed, where a mirror had been mounted to the bulkhead.

Once his hand was out of the way, he saw a band of purple halfway up his neck. The location coincided with where he felt the pain. He turned his head to find that it continued around toward the back.

"I know it looks bad," Nester said as he stood up and moved behind Link so that his face was visible in the mirror, "but, at best, it's a bruise. Nothing else seems to be wrong." However, Link tugged the collar of his body suit down and angled his shoulders so that he could look inside. He could still see the bruise on his right shoulder. Nester noticed it, too, eyes narrowing as he asked, "Where'd you get _that_ from?"

Link turned back to the surgeon and his second-in-command. "It's the Night," he said as he pulled the collar back into place. "Last night, I dislocated my shoulder while I was fighting in the dream."

"Well, is it all right?" Nester asked as he sidled up next to Link and started probing the shoulder with his fingers.

"It doesn't _hur—_!" Link tried to say until Nester found a tender spot to press. He took a moment to let the sting subside. "Well, it's doing better now."

"And tonight?" Leynne asked.

"I'm… not too sure," Link admitted. "I'd found the river, and I just started for the technoworks. Then the next thing I know, I'm looking at my own decapitated body on the ground. When I woke up… I ju—I thought my _head_ was gonna come off."

"Yes, we'd gathehed that much," Leynne replied. He glanced over at the crew still huddled at the doorway. "Unless you'h off-duty, back to youh posts," he told them with a shooing motion.

"Take it easy, Captain," Hunter said as he disappeared.

"Yeah, take care," Gillam said before he followed Hunter. Lwamm seemed to have taken the hint from the two Hylians and left as well. Layna lingered in the doorway, sorrowful eyes focused on Link.

"Well, I suppose it's a small comfoht to know ouh captain hasn't gone _mad_ ," Leynne said.

Link moved back to the bed and sat on its edge. "Was I that bad?" he asked.

"Undehstandably so if you thought you'd lost youh head," Leynne answered. "I assume this might be a repehcussion of removing the Night from the technowohks last night."

Link nodded and said, "Janni was right. She told me the Night was pissed." He put a hand on his neck as he realized how sore it felt. "I wasn't being careful, and it caught me."

"I suppose it should be a blessing that it couldn't kill you outright," Leynne said.

"Not with something small like this," Nester told him. "But I'm worried if it can do more. Subdermal hematoma is relatively harmless. But blood loss is still blood loss whether it's inside or out." He returned to his desk and sat in the chair. "There're a number of organs in your body you _don't_ want blood to pool in. Even if _that_ doesn't happen, you can die from exsanguination."

"Doctoh, I'm afraid we haven't had youh level of education," Leynne pointed out. "You'h talking a language I can't follow." Link tried to hesitate before giving a nod of agreement.

"Okay then," Nester replied as he steepled his fingers and rested his elbows on the arms of his chair. "In basic terms, all of your blood _doesn't_ return to your system fast enough. That would come from repeated trauma of this sort. This could lead to ischemia, where you don't have enough blood getting to tissue to maintain function. It could even cause infarction, where some of your tissues die and cause vital organs to no longer function. Either of these is fatal."

"Is theh any symptoms we should watch foh?" Leynne asked.

"For the blood loss… paleness, cool to the touch, accelerated heartbeat, shock, and behavior problems."

"Like tonight?" Link asked.

Nester shook his head. "No. You'd still be lucid, but you'd probably be doing things you don't normally do or just act out of sorts. By the time you reach behavior like tonight, I'd say you would have an entirely _different_ problem. As for the ischemia or infarction, if you have any sort of severe pain or if any part of your body becomes paralyzed or your skin changes colors, come to me right away." He paused and licked his lips. Then he pulled himself onto the edge of the chair and rested his elbows on the end of the armrests. "Captain. You should know that there's only so much I can do."

Link nodded. "I'll try to be careful."

Leynne heaved a sigh. "Must be a comfoht knowing you cannot outright _die_ in youh dreams," he commented.

"For _now_ ," Nester quickly spoke up as he shot Leynne a worried look. "But if this 'Night' gets any more violent on you, it could cause some serious damage. Maybe even _permanent_ damage."

"Would you be able to respond fasteh if he slept in the sick bay, Doctoh?" Leynne asked.

"I suppose I could."

But Link was shaking his head. "No," Link said. "I can't wake up in the sick bay; I'd have to go back to my cabin to get my gear." Then he realized something and started patting his chest. "My tunic. Where's my tunic?"

"My Kyabtin," Layna finally spoke up, having been forgotten at the front of the sick bay. Link looked at her to see his tunic folded over an arm.

"We can bring youh geah in _heh_ , Link," Leynne told him as Layna brought the tunic to Link. "We don't have to make this _hahd_. Will you be retuhning to the island tonight?"

Link looked at the tunic in his hands. Then he laid it on the bed next to him. "I don't know if I should try tonight," he said. "I never saw what—" He swallowed back the bile in his mouth, trying not to think about the horrific scene he had witnessed. "—what did it. Besides, it took half the night to get there. I don't think I could reach it in time again."

"Faih enough," Leynne told him.

Link glanced down at his tunic. Then he asked, "When _did_ this come off?"

"What, the tunic?" Leynne replied. "We weh trying to cahry you with it at fihst. You slipped out and…" He turned to look at Layna. "Didn't Lwamm throw it on the deck?"

"Ay'a, Lyayn," Layna replied.

Leynne scrunched his face as he thought. "Layna must've gone back foh it aftehwahds," he continued. "I'm cehtain she didn't have it when she pinned you to the wall."

"P-pinned me to the _wall_?" Link asked.

"A bunch of us stumbled when we weh cahrying you down the staihs, so Layna shoved you against the wall and pressed hehself against youh chest so you couldn't move."

Link felt his face heat up, so he looked down at his lap to avoid making eye contact. "Wow, um… I, uh… wow," was all he could say.

"Poor guy was so far gone, he didn't know what he was missing," Nester crowed.

"Yes, it has always amazed me how _Layna_ will always go that extra step foh Link," Leynne said, sounding bored. His comment caused Layna's face to turn crimson, and she looked down at the deck to hide it. "I should select crew to find those mines—"

He stopped when they heard footsteps approaching the sick bay fast. Layna shifted out of the way just as Line barreled in. "Lieutenant," he said, his voice a little winded, "you… you gotta come see this."

"What is it?" Leynne asked while Link rose from the bed.

Line glanced at Link before telling Leynne, "The-the compass! It's going _berserk_!"

Leynne shared a look with Link. Link grabbed his tunic and started for the door. "Let's go," he said stepped past Leynne.

Link slipped his tunic on while he, Line, and Leynne rushed to the main deck. Their footsteps alarmed Biluf and Dholit, and they jumped out of the way as their superiors and daytime helmsman ran out of the stairwell near them. Link was the first to climb onto the forecastle and located the compass built into the top of the post in between the two wheels.

The needle was spinning. On a compass that had not once shown any sort of failure, that the helmsmen have been using for two years, the needle turned complete circles on its pivot. Link had never seen it before.

"You see?" Line said while he and Leynne watched over his shoulders. "It's just going _nuts_! I mean, I wasn't watching it the whole time."

"When did you fihst notice?" Leynne asked as he moved closer to the control console behind the wheel.

"Maybe-maybe just a few minutes ago?" Line suggested. Link tapped the glass. "I already tried that. I even tried kicking the wheel."

"Captain, it isn't just the compass," Leynne said. Link looked up to find Leynne beckoning him with a finger. Link slid past Line to look at the console. The surface was composed of three levers and a single gauge. The gauge showed wind direction in relation to the ship. If it was functioning correctly, it should have been pointing to port, away from the island, since the prevalent wind in the area would be radiating outward from the island. But that was not what it was doing. Instead, the arrow spun just like the compass's needle.

"You gotta be _kidding_ ," Line said after craning his neck to see the panel.

"The weatheh vane, I can undehstand," Leynne said. Then he turned back to the wheel. "But how is it affecting the _compass_? It relies on _magnetism_."

"Leynne," Link said with urgency in his voice, "go down to the engine room and make sure they aren't having trouble with their equipment too. Report back as soon as possible; I'll watch the deck."

"Yes, sih," Leynne replied, already moving toward the stairs.

Once Leynne's footsteps had died down, both boys heard rumbling. After sharing a glance, they looked toward the island.

"Oh, _no_ ," Line uttered as they watched in disbelief. A distant flash of lightning revealed the shadow of the tower at the center of the island.

And, within the same flash, they saw the storm clouds building behind it.

…

"9/22, Expedition Day 40.

"Probably our worst nightmares have come true. The Night has us trapped in a storm, just like the Undying Storm around Forelight Island. There wasn't even any time to ready the ship. I didn't give the order anyway. The Night is messing with our navigation instruments so we can't move away from the island. And I choked. The storm had us cornered in minutes anyway. Or… at least I wanna tell myself that.

"The Night also killed me last night. I went into the dream, and the Night must have set a trap for me. It beheaded me in the dream. My crew had to take me to the sick bay kicking and screaming because I thought my head was coming off. Nester had to give me a tranquilizer just so I could calm down. I woke up with a bruise around my neck. The doctor said it won't harm me too much, but I can't let the Night keep doing it, or else I'll lose too much blood and die. It kinda makes me look back on what was going on two years ago and wonder why this never happened before. Maybe I should be glad there's a difference between dreams and reality; it might be the only thing keeping me alive.

"So far, the Night hasn't affected anything in the engine room. But as much as the crew might have been settling down since we'd learned about the Night, having this storm around us has just inspired them to be afraid of it once again. I didn't get anywhere last night, but I'll have to keep an eye out for traps tonight. I can't let this thing kill me anymore."

…

Link could not sleep for the rest of the morning, a combination of after-death anxiety and trepidation from seeing yet another unnatural storm. He stayed on-deck all night, watching the storm as if he expected it to disappear at any moment. A couple of times, he was tempted to order the ship away from the island to see if the Night would dare kill them rather than let them go. He decided against it because of memories of the last time he had tried to fly an airship through a storm. If anything, the _Island Symphony_ was a larger target than the _Island Sonata_ with more lives to risk.

So, after making the log entry just after what now passed for sunrise, he took a nap. It felt like it had only been a few minutes before someone knocked on the doorframe.

"Come in," he responded. Then, once he opened his eyes, he was reminded that the crew had knocked down the door earlier.

Leynne leaned inside, hands holding him up on the doorframe. "Captain," he said as Link rose. "I have a group ready to go to the island. I thought you might provide some moh insight foh ouh seahch. They'h waiting in the boat deck."

Link took in a deep breath. "What time is it?"

"Neah to ten," he answered.

Link, surprised, glanced out the window behind him. He thought the sun had risen only an hour or two ago. He heaved a sigh and said, "All right, I'll be up there in a minute."

"Okay," Leynne replied before leaving.

Link heard a girlish yawn and looked over to his bed. "It feels like it should be earlier," Irleen commented as she rose from her bed.

"Things have been happening," Link told her. "The whole island is inside a storm."

Irleen suddenly shook side to side, giving an alarmed bell ring. "WHAT!?" she hollered.

Link stepped over to his footlocker and opened it. "The Night put a storm over us and the island," he explained as he dug around. He located his blue compass and pulled it out to look at it. Just like the one on the helm, the needle was spinning on its own no matter how Link held it. "It's also messing with our navigation equipment. Look."

Irleen fluttered away from the bed and came to a hover in front of Link so she could examine the compass. "That… that's not _right_ …" she murmured in shock. Then she glanced out the door. "What the hell _is_ this thing?"

Link did not have an answer for her, but he was sure she was thinking the same thing. If the Night was capable of building a storm in a place where storms did not normally exist, it was capable of any sort of Sorian magic that either Link or Irleen had seen. Could it have been possible that the Night might have, at one time, been a Sorian?

Link dressed in a tunic and trousers, although he was beyond knowing whether they were clean or not. It was not likely that they were clean; he was sure he had already gone through all the clean laundry he had. He then went up to the boat deck where the _Conductor_ was stored. Leynne was waiting for him with Gillam, Gold, Brandon, Hunter, Dubbl, and even Harley from the engine room.

Link raised an eyebrow as he commented, "You're just taking Dubbl?"

"If anything happens," Leynne spoke up, "I'd ratheh not have a language bahrieh in the way of panic."

Link nodded. "Well, I suppose the only thing to know is that if you encounter anything large and pitch-black, back off and get back to the group," he told them. "Don't touch it, don't even approach it."

"Gold will remain with the _Conductoh_ should we need to leave in a hurry," Leynne said. "The rest of you will paih up once we get theh. _Everyone_ will cahry an extra tohch. Should you use youhs up, leave. Don't separate, don't lose youh pahtneh."

"One more thing," Link said. "When the Night is awake, you'll see this black mist that acts like water. _Stay away_. According to Janni, anyone who goes in doesn't come out right. The Night should be sleeping now, but with _us_ around, it'll do _anything_ to hurt us." Uncomfortable looks shifted among the crew.

Leynne attracted their attention by clearing his throat. "Everyone aboahd. We have wohk to do."

He ushered them toward the ladder hanging from the boat's starboard side. Link grabbed his sleeve to hold him up. "Leynne," he said. Leynne turned around. "Bring them back. And be back before dark."

Leynne nodded. "I intend to."

Link then stepped outside and leaned on the quarterdeck railing overlooking the main deck. A moment later, a high-pitched whine caught his attention. He looked up to see the _Conductor_ rising out of the boat deck. It had to accelerate over the quarterdeck before turning north toward the island. The _Conductor_ then jetted away, a slight flash of blue fire flaring from the stern as the throttle was pushed forward. Link continued to watch for a little while. The boat turned to the east, probably because Leynne decided to avoid approaching the tower knowing that part of the Night was resting inside.

"Captain?"

Link glanced over his shoulder to see Cale standing at the bottom of the starboard staircase. "What is it, Cale?" he asked as he stood up straight.

"I know you have misgivings about sending people onto the island," Cale said, "but I wondah if I might voice a proposal to you."

"Go ahead," Link said, stepping toward the head of the stairs.

"We know that Ihleen has trouble reading books in the library. But I wondah if you would allow us to go back to seahch fuhthah."

Link sighed. "I have to warn you: I'm a little leery about letting you go back."

"Yes, Captain," Cale replied with a nod. "I undahstand. But this might be ouh only oppohtunity. If the Night decides to retahn to that technowohks, who knows if the _library_ will suhvive. We came to help Ihleen find haah people. I only ask that you let _us_ take this chance."

Link cast his eyes back to the island as he thought. They already knew that the Night had legitimately left the technoworks attached to the library. If it had not, it probably would not have been so intent on hurting Link and keeping the ship against the island. But could the Night heal itself? Should Link dare send Cale and Irleen back to the library on their own, not knowing if the Night might decide to return, too?

Link put a hand into his pocket and retrieved Irleen's translator gem. He did not dare toss it to Cale since Cale tended to fumble things. Instead, he walked down the stairs and handed the gem over. "Take Line with you, too. And have Biluf give you the spare flare gun; Leynne took the ship's gun with him. You three will have only a few hours, then I want you back before dark. If I have to come get you, you won't be doing this again."

"Y-yes, saah," Cale replied.

"Have Line check on the sky every so often; it'll keep him busy. Remember: _before_ dark. You put yourselves at risk if you stay out at night."

"Of coahse."

"Watch each other's back out there."

Cale gave a sharp nod. Then he jumped off the steps and hustled across the deck. Watching him caused Link's eyes to wander around the deck. It just now occurred to him how much of his crew was disembarking.

The weather deck was practically deserted.


	25. Never the Same Twice

Chapter 25: Never the Same Twice

…

Link had seen his fair share of long work days and long non-work days. This day passed by much slower than either of those. Sending his crew to shore to take care of errands was not unfamiliar to him; sometimes, Leynne had had to remind him that his crew existed for that very reason. But with the Night looming within the island and the new understanding that it was not going to release his ship so easily, Link had been left with the bad feeling that something would happen to his crew out there. He spent the afternoon trying to push away every dark thought he could have, now wondering if the Night had gotten the idea for the storm from either him or someone else on his crew. Seeing the night crew on the deck helped alleviate his worrying, but he was far from willing to relax.

The ship's lights were on by the time the _Conductor_ 's familiar whine permeated the air. Link instantly dashed across the deck from the forecastle, hollering to Lwamm, Twali, and Layna in Hylian by mistake. However, the deck crew already knew by now what to do when the launch was returning. He, Layna, and Lwamm stepped up onto the poop deck and grabbed a staff from the rack at the front of the deck while Twali was already waiting near the transom with another staff. Link moved to the starboard side, and together they used their staves to direct the _Conductor_ into the boat deck without letting its hull hit the large opening in the poop deck. The party on the _Conductor_ looked to be unharmed by the Night, although Airmen Brandon and Hunter were leaning over the side of the launch's bulwark. Link sighted the _Conductor_ 's braces once it was in the boat deck and signaled to Twali to push it forward a bit while he nudged the stern. The _Island Symphony_ gave a slight shudder, and Gold, at the pilot's station of the boat, signaled with a thumb that they had had a good landing.

Link rushed to replace his staff and descended to the quarterdeck. He hauled the doors to the boat deck aside so he could enter. "Leynne," he called as he rounded the boat on one side.

For a moment, only Brandon's and Hunter's groaning answered. Then Leynne, having erroneously stepped to the wrong side of the boat, approached Link after correcting himself. "Yes, Captain," he answered.

"What did you find?"

Leynne heaved an exhausted sigh. "Well, ouh infohmation was right: theh _ah_ mines on the opposite side of the island." He dusted his shirt off as if to emphasize their existence. "The area around the tunnels looks to have been abandoned foh a good numbeh of yeahs. We've found a few stohs of coal should the need arise."

"And the rations?"

At this, Leynne took in a deep breath, his face telling Link that he would rather not relay what they had found. "We… we suspect that theh may have been stohs foh them as well. They'h empty now, but we found a few packages labeled in Hylian scattehed inside the tunnels." He turned around. "Dubbl?" Dubbl had just stepped to their side of the boat deck. She pulled a satchel from her shoulder, dug into it, and offered Leynne a cloth sack. Leynne then passed the sack to Link as he explained, "We only found two of these still untouched. A small jah of fruit presehves, some nuts… the jehky is definitely inedible, but the rest of the packages should be viable. They ah not much, but they should keep us from _stahving_ all the way back to Hyrule."

"Do you need help bringing them back?" Link asked while he inspected the interior of the sack.

"I think the crates ah much fuhtheh in the tunnels," Leynne told him. "We found drag mahks.

"They lead right to the Night." Link raised a shocked look, but Leynne quickly held up a hand. "As soon as we found it, we retuhned to the _Conductoh_. None of us have been hahmed, but we ah left with a problem. If theh _ah_ crates of rations in the tunnels, we must have the Night out of the way."

Link sighed and covered his eyes with a hand. "I don't believe this…"

"Yes, it would seem that the Night is holding the rations hostage," Leynne said. He crossed his arms as he added, "And it seems to latch onto every bad thought we have. I'm afraid that my own concehns about being caught in this stohm may have been the Night's inspiration."

Link shook his head. "There're plenty of crewmen here that feared the storm long before you, Leynne. The idea could've come from any of them."

"Oy, Cap'n." Link glanced around Leynne at Gold. Gold was pointing up.

Link followed the direction of Gold's finger to Brandon and Hunter. "You two gonna be all right?" he asked.

"So long as we don't have to fly on _this_ thing again," Hunter said as he pushed up from the bulwark. Brandon nodded in agreement before he belched and put a hand over his mouth.

"Be cahful," Leynne warned. "It's bad luck to vomit on a captain."

"Yes, sir," Hunter said. "That's page two of the manual after 'no riding aboard launches made by a drunken idiot'."

"Think I skipped that page," Gold commented with a grin as he walked by Leynne and Link.

"Go down below and get what dinner you can stomach," Link told the two airmen above. "Hunter, you have a post to man as soon as possible."

"Yes, sir," Hunter replied. He nudged Brandon's shoulder. "C'mon, let's go choke something down."

Link turned back to Leynne. "Did you guys happen to pass over Line and Cale? They should've been coming back, too."

"From the library?" Leynne asked. Link nodded. "I can't say we spotted anyone, but we wehn't exactly _looking_. I wouldn't wohry, though; the Night still has a few moh houhs to wake up."

"I told them to be back _before_ dark," Link said, glancing up out of the deck. "They need to get moving."

"Would you like me to send someone to retrieve them?" Leynne asked.

Link shook his head. "If they take a different path here, whoever you send might miss them. If they're not back by the time the island starts to go black, I'll look for them myself; I can cover more ground."

Leynne nodded. "If you say so."

…

As much as Link had figured Line and Cale would not be back until sometime after dark, he was glad to see them running for the ship not too long after Leynne's party had returned. Their report was brief: Line hated it, Cale hated it, and Irleen hated it, all simply because they did not believe the library to have been empty. Irleen decided to go to bed afterwards, but Link told Line and Cale that, with the night approaching, they would be better off waiting for it to pass before trying to get in at least a short nap. As he could expect, Cale agreed with the logic while Line complained that he was tired and sweaty. It had been a brief complaint before Line chose to get a late dinner rather than argue the point with Link.

Link retired to his cabin for a bit now that his crew had reassembled. The storm added a subtle shutter to the room with each burst of thunder, and Link could not decide whether he would prefer the thunder or the silence. He knew he probably would not be hearing the sounds of crew talking outside his cabin for a while yet, cowed as they had been by every little bit of information they had learned about the Night.

"Same day, about 2000.

"As much as I don't like letting my crew wander around this insane asylum of an island, I'm always glad to know they can keep themselves safe. Leynne took a landing party to the north side of the island to look at the mines. He reported that these rations that—I don't know what to call her anymore. I guess "Logan" will have to work. The rations she told us about were there, just like she said. The problem is the Night got to them first. Or maybe it had them from the beginning; I don't know. It comes down to now knowing that, as soon as I clear up the river, I'll have to check out those mines next.

"Since the Night killed me in that last dream and I woke up injured, I'll be sleeping in the sick bay tonight so that Doctor Nester can keep an eye on me. I have to admit that I'm a little worried. I don't know what killed me last night. If it's still around this time, I'll have to react much faster to avoid it."

…

Link brought his gear into the sick bay and left it laid out on one of the beds so that he could get ready as soon as he was asleep. But then, he found it hard to get to sleep afterwards. Images of his beheading and phantom stabs of pain around his neck made it hard for him to relax. Having to sleep in the sick bay, with the acrid scent of disinfectant lingering forever, only added to his discomfort. At one point, he thought his skin was starting to dissolve in the substance. Nester slept in his own bed near the back of the sick bay, although he had told Link that he would be trying to remain awake as per Link's previous orders.

After what felt like hours of rolling around in the bed, he flopped onto his back and looked at the blackness where the ceiling should have been. He sighed and asked, "Am I asleep yet, Nester?" What sounded like chewing noises answered him, hinting that the doctor might still be asleep.

"Nope."

Link heaved another sigh at the sound of Nester's voice. Then he frowned at the darkness and reached for the overhead lamp. His peripheral vision revealed someone sitting in the doctor's chair so he turned in response.

He jumped upon perceiving a wide pair of amber eyes and a large, sharp-toothed smile.

"Ah-HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Janni laughed as she leaned back in the chair so that she could kick her feet in glee.

Link scrambled against the bulkhead. Once his surroundings started registering, he took in a breath to calm himself. "Don't you have anything _better_ to do?" he asked in an annoyed tone.

"Not since _you_ showed up," Janni told him while her chair froze on its two back legs instead of falling over. She crossed her legs and leered at him. "So. Your little jaunt down to the river didn't go as expected."

"No, really?" Link asked as he stood up. He grabbed the lampshade and angled it toward the bed on which he had left his gear. "I'd call being beheaded from behind _very_ unexpected."

"You wanna know what the _best_ part was?"

Link picked up his sword and slung it over his shoulder. "I left a bloody mess on the floor?"

"Hmmm… yeah, now that you mention it, it _was_ a spectacular mess. I _loved_ the splat of neck blood on the wall." Link ignored her while he put his gear on, which included his flare gun and the small spike hammer he had received from Sello. Janni rose out of the chair, floated across the sick bay, and descended in front of Link upside-down so that Link backed away from her awkward appearance. "But no, that wasn't it."

Link stared at her for a moment. "Well, I'm not really interested in asking."

"I think you _should_ ," Janni said, turning sideways so that she hovered over the bed.

"Okay then," Link said before crossing his arms. "What was it?"

Janni gave a smug look and crossed her own arms. "You walked right past it. The thing that decapitated you was that statue."

"The _statue_!?" Link snapped in disbelief.

Janni nodded, her grin widening. "An Armos," she explained. "A statue with a mind of its own. One that's usually set to 'kill whoever walks in front of me'."

Link felt around his neck with one hand. "I'll have to remember that," he told himself.

Janni's shrug seemed indifferent. "If you say so." She floated to Link's side, causing him to turn to follow her, and set foot on the deck. "So. Shall we go watch you die again?"

Link glared at her, angry at first, but then it turned determined as he picked up the Dreamweaver's Shield and put it on his arm. "I'll be ready for it," Link told her. "This time'll be different."

Janni waited for him to walk past. Then she mumbled to herself with a slight edge of glee, "You have _no_ idea…"

…

Link took a quick survey of his crew before he left. As he feared, more than half of them had fallen asleep by the time the Night rose. At this point, he could only pray that what he was about to do would draw attention away from them before something happened.

He ran full speed across the open area surrounding the settlement and then leapt from rooftop to rooftop in the same manner as he had done last night. Janni, who had gone quiet, floated along like a balloon that had been tied to Link. While he had to admit that this strange sort of silent treatment from her was unnerving, he quickly decided that he preferred it to having to listen to any more of the gruesome thoughts that went through her head. He was relieved to find that she had not hidden the river from him this time and followed the sounds of screaming Obeetans to the open well.

He peered into the well and frowned at it. "This… doesn't feel right," he said aloud.

"Wells can have that effect on people," Janni replied.

Link looked up to find her standing on the well's lip opposite from him. "I guess I should say it doesn't _look_ right," he explained. "This well was well-lit last night, but it's almost pitch-black now."

"I don't know why you would expect it to be lit down there," Janni pointed out. "It's a _well_. It's not like anyone goes inside."

"And yet, the Night likes to put little surprises in there for people," Link told her with a flat look.

"If _you_ had to look at the same cave for decades on end, I'm sure you'd wanna do some decorating, too."

Link stood up and pulled out his flare gun. In the odd, pulsing light of the streets, he picked out a green flare and loaded it. "This oughta help," he told no one as he replaced the gun. He hauled himself onto the well and carefully dropped inside. He was immediately swallowed by darkness so thick that he had no idea what was underneath him.

 _Ke-SPAAAAASH!_ Link quickly found himself submerged in water. The shock of the cold and the surprise of landing in water caused him to take in a breath, awarding him with lungs almost full of water until his reflexes screamed at him to stop. He could not see anything, blinded by both the dark and the stinging sensation of water in his eyes. His limbs flailed in attempt to find something to latch onto. Once the shock wore off, he could see through the water a shimmering glow above him. His lungs screaming in pain, he started kicking for the surface. In spite of the surprise landing, Link found that he was actually quite shallow once his head broke the surface. He coughed out as much water as he could. At the same time, he saw solid land just out of reach. He swam forward and buried his fingers in cold mud. The bank was steep, so he had to haul himself out of the water. He continued to cough water out of his burning throat, the sensation of needing to vomit slowly rising. However, once his lungs felt clear, he was gasping for breath while staring down at a ground he could barely see through blurry eyes.

"Hmm… Might wanna watch out for that first step."

Link finally brought his breathing under control and looked up at Janni, who hovered nearby in her fairy form. "You could've warned me," he said with a raspy voice.

"I've been warning you about plenty," Janni replied as she lowered herself to eye-level with him. "You don't really seem to listen that well."

"When did you warn me about _this_?" Link asked.

"Two nights ago, while you were in the library."

Link slowly rose to his feet as he tried his best to remember their conversation two nights ago. He knew he had learned a lot from Janni in the past two nights, but when was it that she had told him that he would fall into a river?

Once his head was up, he realized that the river might not have been what she was referring to. The corridor of gold was gone. Instead, he realized he stood on the bank of a winding river surrounded by a thick forest. The shapes of the trees seemed to twist in the dark, forming limbs and leaves that looked nothing like trees Link had seen before. Overhead, the roof of the cave he knew he stood in had been replaced by an almost blank sky. The moon hung about where he had fallen in, its lower half masked by cloud. Insects chirped nearby, one kind a quick rattle every few minutes while another was a high-pitched screech that lasted much longer between rests.

Link's right hand tightened around the strap on the Dreamweaver's Shield. "What was it that you warned me about?" he asked.

"That the Night doesn't like to do the same thing twice," Janni said, her voice even this time. "You said that you'd be ready if it decided to slice your head off again. It won't do that unless it runs out of ideas. And it looks like drowning you got crossed off the list, too."

Link glanced back at the river. Then he looked in the direction he was sure the opening to the technoworks should be. "It didn't really try that hard," he pointed out as he drew his flare gun.

"True," Janni conceded. "I guess you can't count things out that easily."

He considered shooting a flare along the riverbank so that he had a little more light. But now that his eyes were adjusted, it seemed to him to be a waste of a flare, and he only had eight of them on his belt. So he replaced the flare gun for now. "Okay," he said more to mentally prepare himself. He took a deep breath, his throat still scratchy but feeling much better without having to cough out water. "Let's go."

He started forward, keeping close to the river so that he would catch sight of anything trying to ambush him from the woods. After the first turn in the river, he considered that he might also be attacked by something from the river and moved until he strode on a middle path between the trees and the water. The walk felt hard since his clothes were drenched and heavy. He checked his gear as he continued and found that the spike hammer had slipped from its usual perch tucked under his gun belt. He hoped that he would not need it.

As he walked, he tried to keep track of his progress. Two bends had gone by, but he felt that he should have gone much further than that. He had to remind himself of the trick the Night had pulled on him in the Ghini room two nights before. For all he knew, he might simply be stepping in place while the Night gave him the illusion that he was moving.

Janni gave a disappointed sigh while he was thinking about this. He grinned to himself as he asked, "You getting bored?"

"I gotta admit it," Janni replied. "The Night seems to be taking its time with this next one. How long have we been following this river?"

"Hour, maybe," Link said. "I should've brought a watch; I could've timed how long it took to get from the well to the opening." He indicated the opposite bank with his free hand. "It should be along there somewhere."

"All these woods, and not a threat in sight," Janni bemoaned.

"Maybe the Night decided to take it easy this time," Link pointed out. "You're always interested in what kinda gruesome things it's gonna try killing me with. It probably takes just as much pleasure out of it, and it didn't wanna end the night that fast."

"Maybe," Janni agreed. "But _still_! This is _killing_ me!"

"Really?" Link asked. "I thought it was supposed to kill _me_."

Janni suddenly stopped in mid-air, and Link nearly fell over trying the same thing when she disappeared from his peripheral vision. He turned with words already on his tongue to ask her what was wrong.

Then she snorted. "I can't believe you said that," she told him with a hint of laughter in her voice. "I thought _I_ was supposed to be the grim one."

Link gave her half a grin. "Can't walk around down here without being at least a _little_ gloomy."

"You might want to watch it, Link. You just might start acting like me."

Link frowned and turned his head. "Is… something going on?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"The bugs," Link said, looking toward the forest. "They stopped chirping."

"Yeah. So?"

Link slowly closed his left hand over the white sword's hilt. "Well, unless they decided to finally go to sleep," he told her in a softer voice, "something's _gotta_ be going on."

"Really? Is this something you learned from experience?"

"Nope. Just a gut reaction. I think I liked it when they were making noise." He began sidestepping with his eyes still focused on the forest, trying to spy something in the darkness between tree trunks. "Let's keep moving. Maybe it'll pass if we just go."

"And if it doesn't?" Janni asked as she floated in his wake with a soft rock in her glide.

"Well, I think I'm planning to run this time," Link told her.

 _K-chink!_

"Agh!" Link suddenly cried out in response to a sharp line of pain in his left leg above his ankle. He looked down at the same time he tried to pull away.

He found that his ankle had been caught between a pair of jaw-shaped metal slats, firmly interred in the ground to keep him from escaping.

Link put both hands on his thigh and tugged on his leg. "A _trap_?!" he hollered, partially in pain and partially in disbelief. "It caught me in a _trap_?!"

"Guess you gotta watch where you're walking around here," Janni remarked as she circled him. "Hmm. Annoying, but hardly _deadly_."

"Yeah, well, it's got my _leg_ ," Link snapped. "I gotta _wake up_ with this pain now!"

Janni turned toward the woods. "Hey, do you hear something?"

Link was slow in responding to Janni's comment. Then he settled his struggle for a moment so that the metal trap would not rattle. In the eerie silence of the surrounding wood, Link was only keen on three sounds. One was his heartbeat, a dull throb that felt like it could pop his eardrums out of place at any moment. His breathing dominated this, his harried gasps the result of panic.

Panic, because the third sound was a low growl the likes of which he had heard before. His eyes darted back and forth between trees, looking for the lithe, fur-covered body of a wild Wolfos.

His left hand carefully settled on the hilt of his sword. Nothing appeared to be in immediate sight, so he drew the sword and, with a few fleeting glances down at the trap so that his eyes were not entirely distracted from the woods, slid the blade in between the trap's teeth. Once the tip was in, Link placed his hands on the pommel so that he could push the sword in order to use the blade's width to wedge the trap open. One push, eyes on the trees. Twice, and then, again, his eyes focused on the trees. One more.

 _Ktak._ The trap snapped open.

"Yes…" Link hissed in quiet victory.

He had forgotten the trees for a moment.

His only clue to the ambush was the snarl, allowing him a tenth of a second to realize with horror what he had just done. Heat drew lines across his neck, and a large body slammed into him hard. The sword free of his hand, he landed sideways on the ground with his left shoulder almost buried in the river's muddy shore underneath him. The weight that had struck him felt as if it had rolled off, so he quickly looked up toward where he had been sure the attacker had landed.

Moonlight reflected off a body that, in shape, was definitely a Wolfos. In composition, it was harder for Link to comprehend. Instead of fur covering its scrawny build, it looked to him like tree branches or vines had come together to form the creature. The moon washed out their color, but Link could see bundles of some type of plant matter, most of them as thick as his wrist, silently writhing across the Wolfos' body. Smaller features, such as claws and ears, looked to have been made of shapes of tree bark. As Link rolled onto his knees, he realized that the Wolfos had lowered its head toward the ground, its teeth bare but its voice not making a sound. It turned its head slightly, allowing its drool to shimmer in the moonlight.

But… how was the Wolfos drooling when it was not made of flesh and bone? Link rubbed the pain on his neck as he pondered. His fingers found warm liquid, which he then observed in the light.

Red.

The Wolfos was not drooling, he realized with horror. That was Link's own _blood_ dribbling down its jaw.

Link quickly made to stand. His head began spinning the moment he had one foot pressed to the ground. He felt around his neck. The blood made his fingertips wet and slippery, but he found the deep gashes on the sides of his neck where the Wolfos' teeth had sunk in. All sound, whatever was left of it, disappeared as his heart began beating in his ears. He knew he had to act. But his vision and his mind began to cloud, the Wolfos waiting patiently before him. He put all of his strength into rising to his feet. His foot slipped, and he caught himself on all fours before his face could land in the mud. He used his left hand to press against the gashes in his neck as best as he could, hoping to stave off blood loss long enough to get away.

Something jagged settled on either side of his head, just above his ears. Just as he realized that the Wolfos was making its next move, he felt his neck twist with a rich crack.

Link's entire body gave out. He had no sensation in his arms or legs, no ability to control his hands or feet. His perspective lowered to the ground. He watched with eyes slowly unfocusing as more Wolfos stalked out of the trees. His vision wobbled, and he heard something tearing nearby. Then everything before him was a large, grey blur. He attempted to speak, but his voice came out as an indistinct wheeze amid a new, much more horrifying sound: chewing.

Link wanted to retch. He wanted to scream. He wanted to run. Just the thought of it was too much; knowing that it was _exactly_ what was happening to him drove him mad.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

With a jolt, Link could see, feel, hear, smell, and scream again. And he screamed with all his might, even after rolling off the bed. Even after hands grabbed him to pin him against the deck.


	26. Powder Keg

Chapter 26: Powder Keg

…

Link did not take as long to calm down as the first time, especially now that he knew what the Night was capable of. Nester held back the tranquilizer, allowing Link to come off his hysteria on his own and still conscious. He asked Nester to examine him. Just as he had suspected, he had bruises on his neck resembling claws, around his left ankle where the trap had snared him, and on his back as what Nester described as a child gone mad with a crayon. Link only went as far to explain the trap and that he had been mauled by a Wolfos; he did not want to think about what the other Wolfos had been doing to him before he had finally passed out. Even just talking about the attack made him want to retch. He explained this to both Nester and Leynne; Randy, who had responded to the screaming with Leynne, had returned to his bunk to shake off what he had described as the sensation of Link's scream rattling his soul.

Leynne, leaning on the bare bulkhead next to Nester's desk, pressed his hands against his face and let out an exhausted groan. "I was concehned this might happen," he said through his hands.

"I'd _love_ to meet a man who can predict what's going on around here," Nester said.

"Me, too," Link spoke up.

"How ah we to leave if the Night is going to ambush you like this?" Leynne asked, removing his hands from his face. "Ah we to assume that what happened in the library was a fluke?"

"Seems to me that this 'Night' has a sadistic streak," Nester said. "And what better way to torment not just the captain, but _all_ of us, by making us think there's a chance?"

"It didn't seem to hesitate the first time," Link pointed out. "Now, it just let me walk into it."

"You see?" Nester asked, indicating Link with a hand.

"But I don't think the library was a _complete_ fluke," Link continued. "Janni said the Night was genuinely mad that I hurt it. Now, it's probably on its guard."

"And, because it's on its guahd, what's to be done?" Leynne asked. "Has Janni suggested that theh is a solution to this situation that _favohs_ us?"

"Uh… not really," Link admitted. "She's convinced that we're gonna be joining the other Hylians already here. And, well, she seems to see it as a _thrill_."

"What if you tried going to another place?" Nester suggested. "Tried to keep it guessing? Number Two here told me there are different places this thing likes to haunt."

Both Link and Leynne shook their heads. "Eitheh awake oh asleep," Leynne explained, "the Night know what we ah planning. Everything that's happened to us has been the sum of thoughts of the entih crew used against us. Including holding us within this stohm." He looked at Link. "Would the shield allow moh than one pehson to enteh this 'dream wohld' of youhs?"

"I don't think so," Link said. "Both Irleen and Nester have been in the same room. Nester was…" He pointed toward Nester's bed at the back of the sick bay. "… probably about as far away from it as me. I can ask Janni about it, but I wouldn't get my hopes up."

Leynne groaned. "This could be simpleh if only we could have anotheh in theh with you…"

"Are we sure it won't let another person in if _they_ slept with it instead?" Nester asked.

Link and Leynne exchanged intrigued looks. "He has a point," Leynne said.

"But who are we supposed to send?" Link asked. "Layna?"

Leynne gave a shrug. "Layna used to travel with you befoh," he pointed out. "I cannot think of anotheh who might be able to navigate the technowohks, otheh than maybe myself. But I can't fight."

"Think we can sneak one of our bigger airmen in on the Night?" Nester asked.

"Only if the Night was inviting him to a bah brawl," Leynne said. "I'd have to say, at this point, we should let ouh assassin do heh job."

"It's gonna be a tall order," Nester pointed out.

"Not from _me_ ," Link said, indicating his joke with a hand hovering over his head.

"Should we see to getting heh on heh way now?" Leynne asked.

"We'll wait until the coming evening," Link said. "It's gotta be pretty late; Layna won't make it to the river before the Night goes back to sleep."

Leynne checked his pocketwatch. "Yes, of couhse," he muttered. Then he asked Link in a clearer voice, "Any ohdehs foh the mohning?"

"Just make sure the night shift gets some sleep," Link said. "I'll talk to Layna tomorrow evening."

…

"9/23, Expedition Day 41.

"The Night killed me again last night. I'd give details, but just saying that I was attacked by Wolfos will probably be enough to remind me years down the road just what a shitty experience it was. Up until now, I thought I'd shaken my dislike of Wolfos. The Night knows exactly _what_ to hit me with. It's probably only a matter of time before it throws more monsters at me. Worse yet, one of the massive creatures I'd met on the surface. It's using my experiences against me, and I don't know what to do to stop it. Our best idea is to let Layna go to sleep tonight with the shield and the sword. She might not quite understand what's going on, but she just might be able to make it further than me. Not to mention that the Night would be hard-pressed to ambush one of the most paranoid people I know.

"Cale, Line, and Irleen are going back to the library today. No one is really convinced that the library is empty, but the fact that they were actually cautious about it makes me worry less. I just wish that the river was just as abandoned. Without water, the Island Symphony won't remain in the air, never mind that we'll need a new source of drinking water soon. I mean, we haven't reached a critical point yet, but I'm worried that we can't even get water from the only source on the island.

"I'm still aching after last night. I'm going to take a nap now."

…

Link could only get a couple hours of sleep later on that morning, haunted by events of his previous dream. His late breakfast was a ration, deciding to decline the potato soup Lilly had kept warm from last night. Even then, he found the food hard to stomach. Despite his misery, though, he found his crew to be much worse off. The deck crew patrolled with a slight glaze over their eyes. Link ordered Airman Brandon to a lookout post on the quarterdeck, afraid that, in his drowsy state, he might fall into the boat deck. He must have nudged the rest of the deck crew about a dozen times because they were leaning against or sitting on something and were encouraged to fall asleep on-duty. Making rounds in the engine room revealed that his engine crew was faring just about as well. In fact, when he set foot in the room, Chief Sello was the only one awake (although this mainly seemed to be a requirement to refilling himself with a bottle of whiskey). Although Sello was just as capable of maintaining an idling engine, Link still preferred his crew to sleep when they were not supposed to be working.

Noon, about the only time that was visible through the storm, brought out the night shift and a fresh wave of sleepy eyes. Even Leynne, who had gone to sleep after Link dismissed him for the morning, had to be prodded a couple of times to keep on his feet. Link decided to make an early visit to the engine room to nudge the crew awake. This included Sello, who had fallen asleep with a half-chewed label stuck to his forehead.

He would later wish he had waited a little more.

He spent maybe half an hour checking on his deck crew when Leynne approached him. They exchanged a quick handwave, and Leynne approached Link from the bow to meet him at about the middle of the main deck.

"Captain, have you spoken to Layna yet?" Leynne asked.

"No, not yet," Link said. "I was planning to do it here in a bit." He rolled his eyes. "When she's a little more awake."

"The sentiment can be made towahd most othehs of this crew," Leynne commented. "I wouldn't mind sleeping during the day, but it seems to be ratheh difficult. _Too_ difficult foh the entih crew."

Link nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I had the same impression. You think the Night might be manipulating our sleep during the day, too?"

"You have been the only one these past fouh nights _willing_ to go to sleep. Everyone else struggles to stay awake, but no one seems to make any progress unless the pehson next to them wakes up screaming. Even ouh supply of coffee didn't wohk, foh as long as it lasted."

"I don't suppose you have any _other_ ideas."

Leynne rubbed his jaw for a moment, and the scratching sound he made indicated to Link that Leynne had not recently shaved. Not that Leynne needed to do so very often, but Link was now noticing a slight stubble covering most of his jaw (the bare patches being a pair of old scars). "I think I've an idea, but it might upset Sello."

"I'd make a _Malgyorg_ mad if it'd help. What is it?"

"Well, Sello still has an ample supply of alcohols. As much as he values them, we might be able to use theih propehties to help the crew get sufficient sleep during the day. It could help them resist the Night."

"You wanna get the crew _drunk_?" Link asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Not necessarily. A drink oh two should wohk. Alcohol needs only to be in small quantities to induce a sleepy state."

"How do you plan to talk Sello out of a bottle or two?"

"Well, I h—"

"Captain!" Both Link and Leynne jumped at the sound of someone hollering from the port staircase. Leynne turned to look, stepping out of Link's way so that an alarmed-looking Gillam was visible. "You've gotta get to the engine room _now_!"

"What's going on?" Leynne called.

"It's a beating!"

If there was ever a time Link and Leynne could say they were truly awake and fully alert during the whole of their experience on Obeeta, this was the moment. Both immediately charged across the deck. "Layna, Gold!" Link shouted en-route. "Get below! _Now_!" Gold responded from the forecastle, jumping over the railing onto the main deck. Layna jarred herself awake at the sound of her name and ran swiftly across the deck from her napping position near the aft starboard capstan.

Gillam ducked back into the staircase and led Link and Leynne down, Gold on their heels while Layna had chosen to descend from the opposite side. Once they reached the orlop, it was evident that something was wrong. Spare timbers had been left unbound near the middle of the deck with Harley and Botu standing nearby. And somebody was slamming something hard against the deck from further aft, the sound of a grunt mingling with each bang. Link's group ran toward the back through the repository that had once carried rocks for the Goron airmen. Link and Gold moved to one side of the deck while Leynne and Layna waited at the door on the opposite side. Link and Leynne nodded, and they shoved the doors to the engine room aside.

In front of the massive boiler that served as the centerpiece of Sello's nonsensical engine, all four witnessed Airman Beech raising a spare timber into the air and hammering it onto Airman Geordie's limp form.

"Beech!" Leynne snapped while Link stared on, frozen in horror.

Link then stumbled when Gold elbowed him out of the way. Beech never saw Gold coming, and the seasoned sailor floored the young airman in a tackle not unlike a freight train striking a stray cow. The timber flew out of Beech's hands, and Beech started struggling against Gold's thick arms.

"Layna, put him out!" Leynne ordered.

Layna jumped onto one of Sello's crates and performed an amazing leap that brought her within striking distance in seconds. Link was not even sure when she threw the needle, but it embedded in Beech's forearm as he continued to thrash about. Layna then slipped closer and pressed the fingers of one hand to either side of Beech's neck, pinching off major blood flow to his head. Beech quickly grew calm until he was unconscious in Gold's arms.

This allowed Link to hear a moan from nearby. He saw Randy lying against the bulkhead and rushed to his side. "Randy, are you all right?" he asked as he put a hand on the older man's shoulder.

"Arr, sir," Randy growled as he slowly pushed himself into a seat. "He caught me by surprise."

"Get Nesteh down heh _now_!" Leynne hollered.

Link glanced over his shoulder to see Leynne hovering above Geordie. He turned back to Randy and asked, "What happened?"

"I don't know, sir," Randy said, giving his head a slight shake. "One minute, everythin's fine. Next thing I know, Beech comes chargin' back in here with a board and whacks Geordie across the face. I watch him take two more swings, then I try to cut in." He placed a hand on his forehead, calling Link's attention to the line of blood slowly tricking across his wrinkled brow. "I bleedin', sir?"

Link followed the blood to a small lesion near his balding pate. "I've seen worse, but it's gonna need a stitch or two."

"Arr."

Link heard footsteps and glanced around as Gillam stepped back into the nearest doorway. "Nester's on his way, Captain," he reported. Then he looked around at the engine room. "What happened to Brandon? He tried to jump in, too."

"Brandon?" Link asked as he turned to survey the room.

"'E's over 'ere," Gold spoke up. Link had to crane his neck to see Gold hauling Airman Brandon to his feet from the other side of the boiler. "Yeh arright, Brandon?"

"I think so," Brandon said, holding a hand over an open wound on his left temple.

"What happened?" Leynne asked.

"We heard someone hollering and banging from the kitchen, so we came to see what it was," Brandon explained as Gold helped him across the room. "I tried to grab him, but he turned on me and clocked me good."

"Just sit 'ere," Gold told him. Brandon heaved a relieved sigh and sat on one of Sello's crates.

"Someone need me?" Nester asked as he leaned inside the engine room behind Gillam.

"Check Geordie," Link ordered. "Hurry."

Nester entered and rounded the crates to find Geordie. He froze for a moment to take in the scene. "Goddesses above…" he whispered. Then he dropped onto his knees and started feeling around Geordie's neck and chest. "He's in bad shape, but he's alive. I need to get him to the sick bay. A stretcher will do it."

"Gillam," Leynne spoke up as he moved to examine Geordie with Nester, "get Botu and retrieve a stretcheh foh the doctoh."

"Aye aye, sir," Gillam replied before disappearing into the orlop.

"How bad is he?" Link asked as he approached Nester.

"Bad enough he won't be _working_ for a couple of weeks," Nester said as he used his fingers to probe around Geordie's cranium. "I'll have to keep him in the sick bay."

Link sighed and looked at Beech's unconscious form, Layna waiting nearby in case he woke up. "Gold, Leynne," Link said with an air of calm that surprised even himself. "Take Beech and lock him in the empty room. We'll figure out what to do with him from there."

Leynne exchanged looks with Gold. "Yes, sih," Leynne replied.

"Cap'n," Randy spoke up. "What're ya gonna do about the engine room? I can work it alone if I need."

"At any other time, I'd let you," Link said. Then he walked to the nearest door and poked his head out. "Hey, Harley?"

"Aye, sir!" Harley hollered back as he hustled to the door. "Ya called?"

"Yeah, we've got a problem," Link said as he invited Harley into the room with a hand. "I hate to do this, but I need someone to tend the shift with Randy; I don't wanna leave anyone alone down here, even _with_ Sello around."

Footsteps sounded from behind, and Link and Harley stepped out of the way as Gillam and Botu hustled past with a stretcher between them. Harley watched as they laid the stretcher next to Geordie. And then he saw Gold and Leynne pick up Beech with the unconscious man's arms pulled across their shoulders. "Aye aye, sir," Harley said, his voice almost hollow. He waited until Leynne and Gold left. Then he asked, "Wha' 'appened down 'ere?"

"It looks like Beech attacked Geordie," Link replied. "We don't know why yet. But we're down two men. You can make arrangements with the day crew as long as I have someone down here, but I need you down here for tonight."

"I'll do me bes', Cap'n."

Link turned just as Gillam and Botu were placing Geordie on the stretcher. "Nester, keep me informed if anything changes," he said. "I'm gonna see about Beech."

…

Link had only been privy to one incident where an airman attacked another. It had been _him_ that started the fight, although the attack had not been as vicious as what had just happened. If the circumstances had been different, Link might have gone with Captain Alfonzo's solution: halve the airman's pay and place him on shore duty for a few months. But Link did not have that luxury, and he suspected that there was something more going on.

Beech woke up over an hour later. Link told Leynne to bring him to his cabin as soon as possible. What he and Gold brought in was a horrible wretch of a man. Beech's feet dragged as he stepped to the front of Link's desk. Despite his youth, Link could swear Beech had turned into an old man in the hour it had taken him to recover from Layna's drugging. His eyes were sunken, and his skin was pale and wrinkled. It made Link wonder if this was the same man who had beaten his shipmate not too long ago.

After almost an eternity of scrutinizing the airman, Link finally asked, "What happened, Beech?"

Beech raised his eyes to meet Link's gaze. For a moment, Link wondered if anyone was still inside that glazed-over stare. Then Beech replied, his voice cracked as he told Link, "I-I don't know, sir. I… I just _lost_ it."

"Weh you provoked?" Leynne asked.

Beech shook his head with a heavy motion, like his neck had to strain through the slightest movement. "No, sir. Geordie stopped. He even—" Beech's voice cut off, and he had to swallow hard before he could talk again. "He even apologized. He said he'd follow your orders to the letter. Randy, too."

"Did he say something to you?" Link asked. "Toooo… upset you or something?"

"No, sir."

Link exchanged looks with Leynne. "Airman, _something_ must've happened to cause this," Link said. "Can you explain it to us?"

Beech started wringing his hands together, alternating which hand crushed which as he searched the floor for words. "It just…" he finally started. "It… It-it just _happened_. One moment, I'm helping Randy sweep down the deck… the next, I'm beating the stuffing out of _Geordie_!"

"Go slowly, Aihman," Leynne told him, one hand raised to calm him. "Just walk us through what happened. You weh sweeping the deck."

"Y-yeah," Beech said. "I… I was… I remember thinking how nice it was. Y-you know, that I didn't have to worry about being pranked for a while."

"I can appreciate the feeling," Link said with an understanding nod.

"I-I just… got to thinking that… well, what-what happens _after_ all this," Beech continued. "What-what would be waiting after we got home. Things like that." He used one shaky hand to brush hair on his forehead aside. "I-I couldn't stop thinking about it. My-my dreams… I remembered thinking, 'What if he did something like-like that'."

"What, precisely, does 'that' entail?" Leynne asked.

"I-I don't know where to begin," Beech said. "Be-before I knew it, I had the board in my hand. He—p!" He had to swallow again, and Link and Leynne thought they had seen his face turn green. "He didn't even see it _coming_!"

"Beech," Link said, sliding to the edge of his chair in case he had to stand. "Just calm down."

"Calm _down!?_ " Beech snapped, his composure lost to a flood of hysteria. "I just killed my _shipmate_! I couldn't _stop_! What the hell is _wrong_ with me!? This-this isn't _me_! Who the hell _am_ I!?"

"Aihman!" Leynne snapped, startling both Link and Beech. Leynne then gave Beech a moment before saying, "Geohdie is still alive. Nesteh is doing his best to help him."

Beech stared wide-eyed at Leynne for a moment. "He's-he's—" he tried to say.

"Look, Beech," Link spoke up. "As much as I don't blame you for this incident, there are still certain things we can't just… overlook."

Beech gave him a look of dread. "Sir, please," he pleaded. "Please don't—"

"It's not gonna be severe," Link told him, one hand raised to interrupt him. "But you _did_ just attack a crewmate. And I want _you_ to take some time to get a hold of yourself. You're right; this _isn't_ you. For the next few days, you are relieved of duty and without pay. Other than using the head, you will remain locked in the empty quarters down below."

"C-Captain!" Beech cried out.

Link had to raise his hand again to silence him. "I'm not finished. And it's not like you're gonna remain there the entire trip. We can't afford to short ourselves help out here. But I'd like you to take those few days and try to relax. Lilly will bring you meals and anything else you might need. Do your best to get what rest you need; we need you."

"Sir," Beech said with a sudden sharpness in his voice. He managed to straighten himself to his full height. "Will you be reporting me to the home office?"

"I will be reporting the _incident_ to the home office," Link said. "With my recommendation that you _not_ be terminated. There _are_ regulations, and that's the best I can do."

Beech heaved a relieved sigh. "Thank you, sir."

"Don't thank me yet," Link said. The ominous context he spoke with caused Leynne and Gold to raise their eyebrows at him. Link quickly decided not to say anything else, particularly since he was about to point out that the Night would still be affecting his dreams the whole time. Instead, he cleared his throat. "We'll make sure someone checks on you regularly. Dismissed."

"Yes, sir," Beech said.

Link and Leynne watched as Gold escorted Beech out. Then Link heaved a sigh. "Somehow, I think this would've been easier if they were just fighting," he told Leynne.

"Then we _ah_ in agreement," Leynne said. "The Night is having an effect on him. The nightmahs, the paranoia, the lack of judgment…"

"This is how the Night works," Link said. "Just like Janni explained. I didn't think it was gonna be so soon."

"I doubt that we have a crisis on ouh hands yet, Link. Now that we know what to look foh, we can betteh wahn the crew."

Link settled back in his chair and nodded. "And then wait for the Night to throw something _else_ at us."

"If we must."

Link stared down at his desk for a moment. Then he said, "I'm going after it again."

"What?" Leynne asked, confused by Link's lack of clarity.

"The Night. I'm gonna go back to the river tonight."

"I thought we agreed that _Layna_ should be the one to go tonight," Leynne said, crossing his arms as he turned completely to Link. "What's brought about _this_ change of mind? Ah you making this pehsonal?"

"It was personal when the Night started messing with my crew," Link told him. "This crew is _my_ responsibility. And I'm gonna make sure the Night knows that _I_ can get pissed, too."

Leynne pointedly looked down at Link's fists. Link realized he was grinding his palms against the chair's armrests and slowly released his grip. "Link, I cannot regahd this decision as an infohmed choice. Consideh that you've taken quite a bit of abuse in the past few days. Ah you suh you'h being rational?"

Link sighed and rubbed his forehead for a moment. "No, I'm probably not," he admitted.

"Good."

This response drew a confused look from Link. "'Good'?"

"If you'd said 'yes', I would push the previous decision to let Layna make the attempt tonight. I only ask that, should you fail tonight, you'll allow Layna oh someone else to make the next attempt. Youh body is slowly tuhning into one lahge bruise, and Nesteh _did_ mention that, should the Night become any moh violent, it could kill you."

Link nodded. "One more night."


	27. Depths of Uncertainty

Chapter 27: Depths of Uncertainty

…

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised. _Delighted_ … but not surprised."

Link rose upon hearing Janni talk and turned to find her rummaging through Nester's desk. "You know," he said before pausing to swing his legs out over the floor. He stood and rolled his neck to help exercise some of his soreness. "After two years, I don't think my crew's very surprised, either."

"It's just as well," Janni said, sounding bored as she started throwing folders out of one drawer. "The shield will only bring one person here. And it's locked to _you_."

Link paused in front of the bed his gear lay upon and looked at the sleeping shield. Then he looked at Janni. "How do I get it to work on someone else?" he asked.

"It's never happened before, but I suspect two methods," Janni replied. "One: you get away from this island."

"And the other?" Link asked as he started putting his gear on.

"You die."

It had seemed like an appropriate question, but Link still felt that he should have seen that option coming. He shook his head and said, "So I'm it, then. The only one who can do something."

"For the time being." Janni shut the drawer and turned to him. "So. How do you think you'll die _this_ time? Caught in a noose? Skewered on a pit full of spikes? Do you think being decapitated disqualifies you for being completely dismembered?"

"I don't know what the Night plans this time," he said as he pulled the Sorian white sword over his head. "But I'm _not_ gonna get taken by surprise again. Not if I can help it."

"I believe you said something similar last night. Remember how well _that_ went?"

"Last night, I didn't know what was gonna happen," Link said. He put his arm through the Dreamweaver's shield and tugged on the strap.

"You _still_ don't know what's gonna happen," Janni pointed out.

"That's why I'm gonna raid the ship's stores," Link said as he walked past her at a brisk pace.

"Whoa, wait a sec!" Janni hollered, jumping into the air so she could fly to catch him. She chased him down the starboard stairs and came to a halt barely past the last step, still hovering. "How could you _possibly_ know what the Night is gonna do next? I don't think even _it_ knows what it's gonna do next!"

"I don't know," Link admitted as he shouldered a coil of rope. Then he stepped over to the storage cabinet in the middle of the orlop and opened one side. Link could already see needing a metal stake to anchor the rope down, but he wondered what else he could take from the cabinet. A hammer, definitely. He also grabbed a sheathed rigging knife and checked the blade. Serrated, which meant it would be good for sawing through rope quickly. He replaced the knife and clipped the sheath to his belt. He spotted a small bin filled with nuts, grabbed a handful, and stuffed them into one trouser pocket. "That oughta do," he told himself as he closed the cabinet.

"Huh," Janni grunted, crossing her arms. "Somehow, I expected you to pull something more _impressive_ out of there."

"It's just a giant toolbox," Link said as he started on his way to the main deck. "We keep tools and spare parts in it. And, because we're in a dream right now, I don't have to worry about losing them."

"You are unusually positive for someone who's been _killed_ twice," Janni commented as she floated along in his wake.

"I _have_ to be," Link said. "My crew is already starting to act up."

"What, that one guy beating the other to a pulp? You think _that_ was bad? That was _nothing_! One guy's paranoia gets the best of him, and you think it's an invitation to run straight into the Night's mouth again?"

Link paused at the last step to the main deck and turned to her. " _No_ one messes with my crew," he told her as he shot her a hard glare.

Janni, unruffled, crossed her arms as she hovered before him. "The Night knows that," she said. "It's the perfect whistle to call you with. It doesn't have to lie awake in daylight wondering if you'll come the next night; it'll just snap its fingers, raid your crew's heads, and convince them that they're not making it home alive." She snapped her fingers. "Come, boy!"

"You can't honestly tell me it's going through the trouble of tormenting my crew just to get to _me_ ," Link said.

"At first? Probably not. And, to tell you the truth, I doubt if it thinks you're a threat _now_. You so easily fall into its traps that it probably won't even try."

"Well, too bad," Link said. He turned and stepped onto the deck. "I'm gonna make it."

He started walking, and Janni moved swiftly to catch him. "What, do you think you have some kinda _rivalry_ with it?" Janni asked as she made to hover high on his left side. " _Believe_ me, Link, it doesn't _care_ about you."

"It seemed to care enough when I hurt it," Link pointed out.

"So, yes, by all means, you should go see if you can hurt it again," Janni replied, voice oozing dry intonation. "Look, Link, you don't even know how _much_ damage you did to it. For all you know, you just lopped off its big toe."

"Good," Link answered as he walked down the gangplank. "If I take a few more, it might fall over."

Janni allowed herself to drift out of Link's peripheral vision and gave him a half-smile. "Wow. You are really determined to keep this going, aren't you?"

"You haven't met other people like that?" Link asked.

"One."

Link, preparing to launch himself into a run, stopped and turned to face her again. "Who?" he asked.

"My dad," Janni replied, her eyes focused on the ground to one side. Link quickly saw that he had struck a nerve, Janni's face a picture of depression she did not hide behind a smile. "When he started something, it was like… it was a _compulsion_. It occupied him for almost days on end. He never let anything go. Not even me."

Link glanced down at the Dreamweaver's Shield. "Did he ever find out where you went?" he ventured to ask.

"Yeah, but it wasn't like he could do anything _about_ it," Janni said. "By then, the Dreamweaver was gone."

"Maybe," Link said. "But I'm sure he didn't give up." He glanced over his shoulder at the settlement. "Look, I'm going in tonight. Are you coming along or what?"

She gave him a flat look. "Boy, do _you_ know how to end a conversation…"

…

Link did not want to share all of his thoughts with Janni. However, he wondered how permanent the Obeetans' transformation was. He considered the thought that the Obeetans' lack of physical features was another illusion of the Night. Naturally, the Night would have had years to figure out how to remove a person's individuality, but it could not possibly be maintained if the Night was defeated. It might require the Obeetans to readjust to life afterwards, but he ventured on with the new idea that a defeated, maybe even a dead Night would bring the Obeetans back to themselves.

Including Janni's father, wherever the man was.

Janni floated behind Link out in the open this time as he jumped from roof to roof across the settlement. He realized that, with as much time as it took for him to reach the river, he might have to use the _Conductor_ to reach the mines.

Just as before, Link followed the screaming until he found the open well. As he dropped down to the street, he asked Janni, "Don't they ever stop doing that?"

"There was a _reason_ they covered up anything the Night had gotten into," Janni replied. As Link stopped to rest against the open well, she drifted forward and sat on the edge nearby. "I wouldn't criticize; it's probably the only thing that they can react to anymore."

"Maybe not," Link said, dropping the rope on the ground. "Two days ago, we found another Obeetan that was willing to talk with us. I think it might've been one of the Obeetans I ran into when I was chasing you."

"I know, Link. You found out about the rations and sent your crew."

Link cast her an annoyed look before busying himself with tying one end of the rope to the stake. "They respond to other things. You just need to nudge them a bit."

"So you let one of them wake up for reality," Janni said in a mocking tone. "You _do_ realize that with wakefulness comes clear thought, right?" When Link did not respond, she continued, "If that woman didn't return back to the daily drone like the other Obeetans, she might drive herself nuts realizing her family's missing. Just like Cale said."

Link stared at the stake for a moment. He had to admit that she was right. Just what kind of harm would it do to an Obeetan to just wake them up like that? If Janni was right about how the inhabitants behaved before becoming Obeetans (and there was not much reason to doubt, given her delight at telling awful truths), "Logan" might have ended up just like Maroon.

He let out a sigh and told her, "I'm only doing what I can. I wanna get my crew out of here."

"Everything for your crew, huh?"

Link glared at her. "You have a problem with that?"

"A _problem_? No." Her grin became sinister. "I just can't wait to see how 'noble' you look after you've caused a few more people to remember where they are."

Link's jaw dropped open, his whole body flooding with cold. For a moment, he was so stunned by the revelation that he had forgotten what he was doing. He looked down at the stake. Then a nearby Obeetan screamed, and he almost jumped free of his skin.

However, when he turned to look at the Obeetan, he realized that the street was empty.

"So ignorance must be a freedom to you," Janni said. Link spun around to find her still sitting on the well's edge. Her smile had returned to its usual delight as she told him, "I bet it isn't easy on you. Knowing that your actions, one way or another, could lead another Obeetan to suicide?" She slid off the well and stepped closer so that their faces almost touched. "Oh, I won't make this so hard for you, Link. For all your worrying about these people, they simply don't have it in them to return to a normal life. Whatever remains of them are just fragments of memory that won't die away no matter what. No body, no soul… no hope. I doubt if you'll ever believe me, but these people have been gone for a long time. So don't worry if a few of them go missing every now and then. In fact, a few _hundred_ disappearing wouldn't be bad." She carefully slipped the stake from Link's frozen hands.

Link then watched her carefully place the stake in the brick road. Specifically, she overlooked the hole made by the first stake they had driven into the road and, instead, pressed the stake through the solid brick until half of it, including only part of the rope, was protruding. When she stood back up, he glared at her, his mind back into processing things. "You are cruel," he told her. " _Pointlessly_ cruel."

"Maybe," Janni told him, her grin softening. "But you can't think that one dead Obeetan is one more soul that could have been saved from oblivion. That's just not how things work here. They're _already_ gone, Link. It'd be easier to just let them finish." She indicated the empty surroundings. "This is what Obeeta should've looked like _years_ ago. Deserted."

Link then watched as the Obeetans faded back into existence one by one. He turned to Janni and asked, "Are you saying that I _should_ make them remember?"

"I'm saying that it doesn't matter," Janni said. "I'm also saying that you need to _know_ that it doesn't matter."

Link picked the rope up from the ground. "I thought you _liked_ watching me struggle with this," he told her in a bitter tone.

"Oh, it was fun while it lasted," Janni said, her voice taking a dismissive tone. "But I figure you're just gonna freeze what you're doing if you think you're making _others_ suffer. Where's the fun then?"

Link gave a frustrated sigh; he was not sure how much of Janni's inconsistency he could take. First, she had warned him away from the Night. Then she had wanted him to go straight _to_ the Night. She seemed to shift back and forth so much that Link had to remind himself that Janni must have been at least half as insane as the Obeetans. This thing about the Obeetans had to have been just another "Janni moment". "I'm not sure whether I should take you seriously or not?" he told her as he stepped up to the edge of the well again.

" _I_ wouldn't."

Link looked into the well. Then he huffed in mild intrigue. "It's light in there again."

"The Night does not disappoint," Janni remarked as she watched Link heave the coils of rope into the well. "I can't wait to see where _this_ one goes."

Link peered into the well once again as he slid part of the rope across his palms. All he could see was the color blue. He wondered if the Night was going for another drowning experience, which made him glad that he brought the rope. However, the other end of the rope looked to have descended too far to show where the surface should be. He tested his grip on the rope. He regretted that he only had a pair of fingerless gloves, as a pair of whole gloves would be more protection for his hands.

He climbed into the well with the rope wrapped around his left forearm in case he slipped. Then he started down, careful to slide his hands along the rope in case he needed to grab in an emergency. Almost a decade of climbing lines had trained him to hold his own body weight on a rope, but, once he was clear of the well and into the cavern, he started to sway. He froze at first, caught unprepared by the movement of a rope unsecured at one end. He tried to think of it as a strong wind and descended even slower than before.

"Question," Janni said as she descended to eye-level with Link, having changed to her fairy form once more. "Being on an airship, do people usually tell you not to look down?"

"Well," Link grunted, "when I was an airman… some of my shipmates… whew… would dangle me over the edge… so I _had_ to look down. It… kinda made me… hate looking. Now… it's no big deal."

"Good. 'Cause I think you should look down."

It had not escaped Link's attention that he was descending from a rope hanging in the middle of an empty sky on all sides. One glance up showed that the hole where the well should have been had disappeared.

Looking down, he discovered that the air was just as empty, if there was any land or ocean at all. The sky was the only thing that existed beneath his feet, as if the surface had never been there to begin with. He looked into an endless blue, not the dark shimmer of an ocean or the earthen tones of the surface world. He double-checked the sky above to confirm the sun holding a few degrees past noon.

He then looked back down at Janni. "Isn't this a little _obvious_?" he asked.

"Wouldn't have been if you'd just jumped in like last time," Janni pointed out. "Though, that just begs the question of _what_ you would've fallen onto to finish you off. The Night's brilliant, but I'm not sure it thought this one through."

Link looked down again. He could see that, although the rope was being blown by the wind, part of the rope looked like it was held up on something. "Maybe not," he told Janni. "Look at the rope. There's something down there."

Janni's response was a vague hum, so Link ignored it. Instead, he began to descend again, this time with a little more energy. This caused the rope beneath him to whip around a little more, and Link then paused to watch part of the rope bump against something not too far below. He decided not to question it and continued at an easy pace just in case the Night had another trap in store for him. As he came closer, the rope started to rest on a surface that, even if it was not directly beneath him, was at least nearby. Finally, once he was almost on top of the angle in the rope, he used the toe of one boot to prod around. The chances turned out to be quite good that, had he dropped from the rope, he would have missed whatever this surface was. However, he found that it was close enough that he could let the wind swing him on the rope a little more until he could plant his toes on it. He judged the surface to be just barely wider than his shoulders and stretched himself a little more along one side of the odd angle in the rope until he could put both feet on the surface. He was equally as careful to slowly place the rest of his weight on the invisible platform in case the Night decided that it needed to fall from underneath him.

He gave the ground a grin before looking up at Janni, one hand still around the rope. "Well," he said, "it feels solid."

"Great," Janni replied in a flat voice. "You're _still_ in the middle of an endless sky."

Link's eyes passed at-level across the sky. That was when he finally spotted a structure that looked to be in walking distance. The whole building looked like a bun. The top half was a bulb of gold, twisted and ending at a single point. The middle section, from Link's distance, looked like it could be a wall of stones shaped to follow the bulb's circular form. Dark slots in the side at regular intervals hinted at the presence of windows. Directly underneath that was a surprise: spinning propeller blades larger than the _Island Symphony_ , maybe larger than any ship ever built by the Hylians. The flash as they swung by told Link they were made of metal. How anyone could make metal propellers so big was a mystery, although Link was already telling himself that he was still in a dream. They spun with vigor, and he hated to think of what might happen to anything that just happened to fall in the way. Underneath that, below a support ring of similar stone to the middle section, were the familiar, jagged spires of earth common to the underside of any real island in the sky.

Link switched hands so that he could point with his left index finger. "Endless, but not empty," he told Janni. He glanced up along the rope. "I don't think I was spinning around, so I think that _could_ be the direction of the technoworks."

"Maybe," Janni agreed. "But, this being the Night's realm, you're guaranteed that it isn't a _straight_ path."

"I know," Link replied. "I need a way to check for gaps." He looked up at the rope again. Then he looked past his feet at the length dangling over the edge. It was not much; most of the rope's length had gone to getting him down safely. However, he decided that it would be enough for what he was planning and pulled out the rigging knife. "I've got an idea."

"Yeah, I saw this coming before you said anything."

"Would you mind pulling the other end out, then?" Link asked, although with only a half-hearted hope that she might do it.

"I'm here to watch, not help."

Link gave a shrug and tugged a little on the rope. "Worth a shot," he commented before using the knife's serrated edge to cut the rope off just above his head. The upper portion swung loose, and the wind pushed it away from him. Link watched it dangle from well beyond his grasp with disappointment on his face. "Probably won't be going back that way anyway."

Janni watched in silence as Link pulled the other end up and began to work the rope. First, he found a couple of the larger, heavier nuts in his pocket and slid them onto one end. He fixed them to the end as close as he could by tying two overhand knots on either side of the bolts. Then he wound the other end around his left forearm and secured it with a clove hitch, one that he hoped he could pull apart quickly should he need to drop the rope. He dangled the end with the nuts to make sure that they could not slide past his knots. Then he used an underhand swing to toss that end forward. They landed on a solid platform, and Link slid his feet toward the other end just in case there happened to be a gap the rope was not showing him.

It was a slow progression due to Link's caution, but he picked up the pace a little better once he had his method figured out. Throw the rope, move, throw, move—even when the rope did not hit the walkway, it showed him an edge that he could slowly approach until he could take up the rope again and find more path. Amazingly enough, the Night had neglected to put any gaps in the path. Then again, Link also noted that the path did not get any wider as he continued on. One bad step could lead him to slip and fall at any moment. And, true to Janni's word, this invisible road was not straight. Link had expected as much, considering that the actual path formed by the river wound through four bends before the fifth granted access to the cave where he was sure the technoworks would be. He did not think that the path he followed perfectly mirrored the river's direction, but it certainly felt to him that he was winding back and forth. Unfortunately, after some time, his only reference was the large building, as the rest of his rope was either too far away to see or the Night had taken it away (a thought that worried him a little).

When he finally reached a rock slab that bridged the gap between the invisible path and the building, Link stopped short of stepping onto it. He glanced up at Janni and said, "I guess now we find out of _this_ is real or not."

"You think, that after making a path you can't see, it'll make a flying palace that you'll just fall through?" Janni asked.

"I got killed by a _statue_ the first time I came here," Link pointed out.

"Oh, I _know_ you can't trust your eyes here," Janni said. "I just thought you'd like to know how paranoid you sound."

Link picked up his weighted rope and let its end fall onto the stone. Link then gave Janni a smug grin upon hearing the nuts clink against solid rock.

Janni responded with an insincere laugh. "I don't know what that smile's for," she told him. "This just proves you're paranoid."

"Yeah, but not _stupid_."

"What a brilliant comeback," Janni replied in a flat tone as Link took a single step onto the visible ground. "Are you gonna toss that thing around inside to make sure you don't fall through the floor, too?"

Link looked down at the rope. He knew he probably should do that just in case the Night decided to pull the floor out from under him. But, at the same time, he did not want to have Janni calling him paranoid every five minutes. He knew it was childish to let her bother him like that, but then, she was being just as immature. Link could not afford to have the Night catch him off-guard, especially now that his crew showed signs of succumbing to the Night's actions.

He started walking as he placed a hand on the clove hitch. He was still in conflict with the idea of taking the rope off, so he crossed the single slab of rock to a pair of bronze doors without having made up his mind. He immediately froze in front of the doors. Both doors were about the size of a full-grown Dinolfos. He could tell this because each door bore a relief of a Dinolfos, the left one holding a shortsword with a sharp bend in the middle of the blade and the other a hatchet and a kite-shaped shield. Link was amazed at the detail, so fine that each scale looked like it could be popped off. Their heads protruded enough that their mouths bore full sets of teeth that seemed sharp enough to bite a limb off. The hands holding their weapons had been molded into position to serve as door handles.

Link felt a shiver scramble up his spine and took a step back. "What do you think, Janni?" he asked. "Think the Night will attack me with something made of metal again?"

"After going through _this_ much trouble? Yeah, I think you're about to be attacked by Dinolmos now."

Link took another step back. "'Dinolmos'?"

"Hey," she defended with a giggle, "you gotta name them _something_ so you can keep track of them." Link turned his head to argue with her.

Then he spotted movement in the corner of his eye. He jumped backward to avoid a flash of orange metal flying through the air. The 'Dinolmos' with the bent sword had taken a swing at him. Link held his shield up in defense as he then watched the sword-bearing Dinolmos step out of the relief. Link released the rope in his left hand in a rush to grab his sword.

The other Dinolmos actually leapt from its door and swung sideways at Link. Link barely had any time to shift his shield, and, even though he probably saved his arm from being sliced open, the Dinolmos was still a living statue with a heavy amount of metal behind its swing. The attack knocked Link off-balance, forcing him to stumble sideways in attempt to recover.

He ran out of path before he could.

Link felt the cold, hard pang of realization the moment he felt his left boot miss the stone walkway. He let out a frightened scream as he fell backward over the edge.

Then he had the sensation of swinging just a split-second before his body smashed into something hard. His head spun from the blow. Something had clamped down hard on his left forearm, and he could tell that all his body weight was in that thing's grasp. At first, Link thought that one of the Dinolmos had caught him so their opportunity to kill and maim him would not be wasted. The moment Link's head cleared, he looked down onto the propellers holding the palace in the sky. Then he looked up to see if the Dinolmos would pull him up.

He saw the rope clamped tight onto his arm.

One Dinolmos glanced over the side to watch what was sure to have been an amazing display of carnage. Instead, it clapped its happy jaw shut and tilted its head upon realizing that Link was still hanging there. Link quickly latched his other hand onto the rope, keenly aware that the only thing stopping him from falling to another messy death was the Dinolmos standing on the other end of his rope. He pulled himself up hand over hand as fast as he could. The Dinolmos had to change the angle of its head in order to realize that it was standing on Link's rope. By the time it thought to lift its foot (more out of stupidity than actually allowing Link to fall), Link had clambered to the edge of the walkway and placed one elbow on the surface to hold himself up. Link then continued his upward climb by grabbing the Dinolmos' scrawny foot. The Dinolmos almost crushed Link's hand when it stomped its foot down to regain its balance, and Link nearly slipped back over the edge. The Dinolmos tried to shove Link over with its opposite foot. However, Link already had a leg up and rolled onto the Dinolmos' foot, forcing it onto the ground again. The Dinolmos hollered as its balance wavered again.

Link was on his back when the other Dinolmos stepped beside the first one, hatchet held across its chest as it judged for a strike. At the same time the Dinolmos aimed the strike at Link's chest, Link raised his shield over his chest. The hatchet glanced off the shield and chipped a piece out of the other Dinolmos' knee. The injured Dinolmos reeled and smacked its companion in the head, causing it to stumble away. Link pressed hard into the Dinolmos' feet as the Dinolmos toppled forward. He felt its legs come close to crushing his shield into his chest before its feet slipped out from under Link. Link quickly rolled back to look over the edge, careful not to slip. The Dinolmos had enough air to tumble once before— _PAINNNNNG!_ —its bronze body hit the propeller below. Pieces flew off the Dinolmos, some being sent back into the air only to ring off the propeller again.

Link quickly rolled onto his back and scrambled to his feet. He tugged the clove hitch until it loosened, allowing him to throw off the rope. Then, once he located the Dinolmos as it started to recover from the blow to the head, he reached behind his back and pulled the white sword. The Dinolmos turned to look at him.

Link rang it in the face with an upswing, forcing it to throw its head back. This blow, it recovered from much more quickly. However, it could not get its shield up in time to deflect Link's horizontal backswing across its face. The Dinolmos stumbled into the swing and then attempted to get Link as it spun back on him with its own horizontal swing. Link could see the swing coming and leaned on his heels to let the hatchet's head breeze by. Then he raised his shield to intercept the Dinolmos attempting to bash him with its own shield on the follow-through. Their shields struck, and Link held his ground since he was not in motion like the Dinolmos. Link shoved his shield into the Dinolmos' shield, and the Dinolmos deflected Link to its left while it regained its footing. Link was lucky it decided to deflect him to its left, or else he would not have been able to press a solid thrust into the Dinolmos' narrow chest. As beautiful as the detailing on the statue had been, it came with a price: the groove between the Dinolmos' scantily sculpted pectorals prevented Link's white sword from simply glancing aside. The high hit, especially with Link's augmented strength backing up his meager weight, thrust the Dinolmos backward into a tumble. Unfortunately for the Dinolmos, Link had already driven it to the edge of the platform. The Dinolmos fell over with a high-pitched scream until— _PAINNNNNNG! Pink pink pink! Pink!_

Link waited for a moment. Then he let out a sigh. "Geez…" he breathed to himself as he replaced his sword.

"Wow," Janni commented in a dry tone. "I kinda expected those two to last a little longer than that. Not that I really thought they would _win_."

"You trying to make me feel better?" Link asked.

"I seriously didn't think that you'd have a problem with that fight," Janni said, her tone sounding genuine to Link's ears. "Sure, I was waiting for the mess when they ambushed you, but since that failed, well… yeah, you were gonna win that one."

Link allowed a small grin and said, "Be careful, Janni. Any more of this, and you just might start _believing_ in me."

"Oh, what _blasphemy_ ," Janni replied in a mocking tone, although with a small chuckle afterward.


	28. Illusomorph, Abebaiotephilic Archaeon

Chapter 28: Illusomorph, Abebaiotephilic Archaeon

…

Link sheathed his sword and moved to the large, bronze doors. He tested the left door with a single hand, and then he pushed both hands against the doors to force them open. A loud squeal answered as he shoved the doors aside, and he stepped forward to keep from falling on his face. He watched his feet fall on a brick walkway and raised his eyes once the doors slid out of his reach.

He stepped into a long corridor. The top half of the walls, which looked to stretch beyond even the size of Obeeta itself, was the same red brick as the floor. The bottom half of the floor and the ceiling was composed of bleached wood. Electric lights recessed in the ceiling illuminated the hallway at regular intervals, their conical guidance giving the walls the look of a blood-edged serrated blade.

Link crossed his arms. "Does it really expect me to go down a long corridor and die?" Link asked, nodding down the corridor. "Am I supposed to die of exhaustion or _boredom_?"

"Well, you can't die of _boredom_. Been there. But this is The Night; there's probably something we're not seeing."

"Like what?" Link asked as he began walking. "More traps? More monsters jumping out of things?"

 _Ka-CHUNG!_ Link immediately froze mid-step, surprise prevalent on his face.

"More storybook clichés," Janni continued. "More moments of drama triggered by ironic words."

"Great…" Link replied as he turned to look behind him.

As expected, the doors had slammed shut. However, Link wished he had seen the opposite side of the doors beforehand. Between thick bands of rusted iron, an incredible amount of machinery started turning and clicking to itself. Link thought the door was too thin to contain such a collection of gears, wires, and springs, but he was quickly learning that The Night was not going to play _that_ fair. He backed away a step, which turned out to be a good idea. _Ka-CHAK!_ The metal bands across the machinery sprang open to reveal that they were not only triangular, but appeared to be incredibly sharp. The hairs on the back of Link's neck stood on end when he then watched as the blades rotated horizontal and clicked into tracks running the width of the door. He backed up further as the blades then started traversing the tracks left and right.

"This can't be good," he said.

"It slices, it dices, it makes Link into flesh strips in less than five seconds!" Janni cried out in excitement as the blades became faster and faster, filling the hall with a horrible chopping sound.

"At least it doesn't move," Link said as he continued to back away.

 _Ka-CHUN!_ The entire door shuddered before it began advancing toward him.

"Aw, crap…" he uttered, quickening his pace.

"Irony has it in for you today!" Janni hollered over the racket.

"Yeah?" Link said. "Let's see how fast it goes down an endless hall—" _Whump!_ While he spoke, Link turned and made to dash down the hallway. However, before he could get any significant distance, he ran into a wall. The rebound dumped him on the floor, and Link had to wait for his head to clear before he could comprehend what had just happened.

He looked up to find that what he had seen was _not_ an endless hallway. Instead, it was a solid brick wall that had been painted to _appear_ as an endless hallway. Link stared in bewilderment for a moment. Then his attention returned to the thrumming sound behind him. He rolled to one side as he twisted his neck to find the doors again. This revealed that the doors' blades took up about half the room with little more than the other half to spare before slicing Link apart. Link rushed to his feet.

"I gotta say," Janni spoke over the psychotic mechanics screeching and clacking their way toward Link. "This is probably gonna hurt."

Link had little doubt after having died two previous times. He looked left and right for some kind of hope, something that would—…

Wait a minute.

He looked left again. He almost did not notice that the bricks on the wall to his left were a shade darker. Part of the mural that had deceived him was cut off by the real wall. With little time to spare, Link skipped sideways toward the unusual wall, his back against the mural because this was going to be a close call. He could feel the breeze coming off the blades. They were too close!

"Agh!" _Kr-sca—REEEEEEECH!_ Machine met brick in a spectacular cascade of sound. The first impact caused the blades to twist. However, the doors continued pressing until the blades, unable to bend anymore, bit chunks out of the brick wall. Then, in the space of a second, the machine itself slammed into the wall and succumbed to the force of its own blades jamming its gears until they flew off, rending the air with a horrifying screech.

Link lay on his stomach in a small alcove in the wall. His hands, in addition to the Dreamweaver's Shield, covered his head until the vile sound finally died. Then he rolled to one side to check the carnage near his feet. And, well, to make sure his feet were still _there_.

"Aaaw," Janni moaned. "It's a nice mess, but you spoiled the fun. You okay?"

"Not quite," Link said with a grunt, pushing up from the floor. He rolled onto his bottom and sat up to examine his legs. A blade had sliced into the front of his boot just above his ankle. Just as the throbbing in his leg and the red staining the boot indicated, the gash was deeper than it looked. "Damn… this isn't good."

"Does this mean you get a peg-leg now?" Link turned an annoyed eye to the little ball of green darkness hovering over his head. "What? You're the one wandering around talking in that stupid pirate accent."

"I'm a _cargo hauler_ , not a _pirate_ ," Link argued. "And would you take this seriously? If I run into another trap, I'm _finished_! I can't screw this up!"

"Why? Is Leynne gonna ground you to your cabin?" Janni teased.

"You're not being funny," Link told her as he pulled his trouser leg from his boot.

"I think _you_ are," Janni said, moving closer to watch him carefully pull his boot off. "For a _captain_ , you sure worry about your first officer being your _babysitter_ a lot."

"Leynne has orders to get the crew out of here if I start to put them in danger," Link said, pulling the rigging knife from its sheath. "If I can't get any further in these dreams, he's gonna take command from me."

"You doing nothing puts your crew in danger?" Janni asked with an air of skepticism.

"Just _staying_ here puts the crew in danger," Link replied before using the rigging knife to cut open more of his undersuit around his ankle. "But if I run out of ideas, or if I can't get us the supplies we need by removing The Night, Leynne'll take his chances in the storm." Link paused to shake off the Dreamweaver's Shield. Then he gripped his right sleeve between his teeth so that he could cut the sleeve about halfway up his forearm. After nearly nicking himself with the knife, he tugged the sleeve to tear it the rest of the way off. "Leynne can make that call," he continued as he sliced the sleeve open. "Page one of the rulebook. Friend of the crew."

"I thought he said it was page seventeen."

Link was silent as he wrapped the torn sleeve around his leg wound. The thick material seemed to hold back the bleeding, so he tied it tight and pulled his boot back on. Then he replaced the rigging knife, retrieved the shield, and slowly stood up with a hand bracing himself on a nearby wall. He sucked in a pained breath as he leaned on the wounded ankle.

Then he told Janni, "This is probably as good as it gets."

"Maybe you should let The Night get you," Janni suggested. "Start over fresh tomorrow night."

Link shook his head and turned around, careful about stepping on his right foot. He discovered that the alcove was a little deeper than he had first thought. He angled his head to see that there was a corner further in. He started walking as he put his right arm through the shield, his pace slow to reduce his need to hobble.

Around the corner, the short hallway opened into a larger room made of stone walls and a brick floor decorated with a single, narrow carpet. The ceiling was also stone with wooden beams providing support. A single truss in the middle of the ceiling held up a silver chandelier decorated with about two dozen candles and an uncountable amount of glass beads strung together between and dangling from its arms. The carpet stretched from the doorway to a raised platform against the opposite wall, flanked by a pair of statues. The statues looked like knight armor bronzed and posed with their swords planted in their own pedestals with their hands resting on top.

On the center pedestal was a chest. As Link walked across the room with an alert eye on the walls around him, he made out more and more details of the chest. Although it had a brass latch on the front, Link could tell that it was naturally "grown" simply because the chest had roots anchoring it to the pedestal. The chest was also distinctly oval in shape, looking like someone had molded a tree stump to vaguely resemble a chest.

Stopping within arm's reach, Link looked up at Janni and said, "I recognize this. I-I didn't get a very good look in the other technoworks, but this is like the chest I found this sword in. It looks like it was made by the Sorians."

"You're right," Janni said. "As I recall, they were left down here before the Sorians started turning into Obeetans. There should be a few more in some of the other technoworks."

 _Kink. Kink._

"Any idea why?" Link asked.

"You got me," Janni replied. "I never saw what went in them. Didn't really care at the time, either."

 _Kink. Kink._

Link frowned and glanced up at the nearby statues. Then he looked over his shoulder. "What's that sound?" he asked.

"I don't know," Janni said, glancing in the same direction. "I _think_ it's coming from that machine from before." Both of them fell silent, ears searching for so much as a whisper. After a moment, Janni sighed. "Guess it was just our imaginations."

Link gave her a skeptical look. "The _both_ of us?"

"Could be," she answered with a giggle. "For all you know, you're imagining that _I'm_ imagining it, too."

"I don't think I'm _that_ out there," Link argued as he turned back to the chest.

"Yet."

Link stepped closer and fit the fingers of his left hand in between the lid. It felt light, so Link lifted it with a light toss meant to force the lid to fall back on its hinge. Link failed to realize how difficult it was to put a hinge on an oval-shaped chest and cringed when the lid— _ki—KA-KLONK!_ —fell onto the floor. Janni snorted, earning her a cross look. Link then reached inside.

His fingers met something that felt like leather, and he tugged it out. He held up a pair of goggles by their strap, which, now that he was looking at it, appeared to be made of flax. Thicker bundles of stems and leaves held two glass lenses each about the size of Link's palm. One lens, which would fit over the left eye, was marked by a blue-colored stamp of an eye with six eyelashes: two on top and two protruding from either corner of the eye with a second jutting out from below, each pair pointing down and away from the eye.

Link raised an eyebrow. "Goggles?"

"Sorian flight goggles," Janni told him. "It's not like it was _easy_ to look into the wind when a Sorian's flying, at least not for any _great_ length of time."

"What are they doing down here?" Link asked as he looked them over. "And what's this symbol on the lens?"

"The symbol is a Sapphire Eye. It's the symbol of a Sorian mystic."

 _Kink. Kink._

"Like the Greys?" Link asked.

"The Greys were more like engineers, craftsmen. They deal with controlling the living, like the technoworks. A mystic deals with _magic_."

 _Kink. Kink._

"So, like the Dreamweaver, then?"

"The Dreamweaver was a _mage_ , not a mystic. Mystics prefer looking for truth through magic, kind of like the truth of life, the truth of—" _Kink._ "—Yeah, I hear it, too."

Link had turned to look over his shoulder again in response to the clank. "Does it seem like it's getting louder?" he asked.

"You know, I can't really tell," Janni said with a hint of intrigue in her voice. "It's weird."

"We should probably get moving," Link told her. Then he looked down at the goggles in his hand. "You know, with some of the things I've been running into, these might help protect my face."

"I'm not sure The Night can _be_ that precise."

 _Kink. Kink._

Link slipped the goggles onto his head and pulled his hat through the band so that he could position the goggles on his face. He discovered that very little of his vision was impaired by the frames due to the goggles' lenses being much too large for his eyes. He looked up at Janni again. "How do I—"

His face instantly paled upon discovering something twice his size holding a large axe over its head in Janni's place.

Link threw himself aside just as the axe started coming down. _KANG!_ the axe rang against the floor. Link hit the floor hard enough that the steel adjuster on his cloth sword-belt jabbed him hard in the chest. Even worse, falling to his right had guaranteed a fresh shock of pain from his injured ankle, being the ultimate reason he cried out. His adrenaline pumping now, he shoved himself off the floor and used his good foot to press him forward to get away from his attacker.

 _Kink kink._ Link spun with his hand on the Sorian whitesword. He did not get a chance to attack, however, because he had to duck beneath the axe bit now leveled to take off his head at _eye-level_! Link looked back up to find a yellowed skeleton of a creature very nearby, its back exposed by its follow-through. He pulled the Sorian sword with urgency not felt since Autumn Island during Cunimincus' rampage. In fact, he did not wait until the blade was completely clear to begin his attack. The point of the sword snagged in the scabbard's throat, causing Link's arm to snap forward once it was free. The errant swing caught the creature's lower back mainly with the flat of the blade, chipping off a bit of bone. Link took a step forward just as the creature aimed an elbow much too high for Link's head. He also swung backhanded in a horizontal arc. The blade found a leg bone to slice through, toppling the creature. Link then spun and backed away to gauge his opponent's next move, shield ready to take another blow.

Instead, the creature lay motionless on the floor. Link was stymied by the creature's appearance. The fragments near the base of its neck indicated that its skull had been broken in its fall, as had a number of its ribs. Link thought it looked gangly for a human skeleton. Then he saw that the closer arm was nothing like what he knew of human skeletons, the elbow being more like a ball joint and its upper arm being composed of two bones. Its pelvis was segmented and flat, like its spine simply melded into this shape rather than be a separate formation. Its leg bent the wrong way. And its foot, made of too many segments of long bones, curled backwards. Only one toe sported any sort of metal, and Link realized with horror that, if the thing walked on the front of its foot, it should not have been making that tapping noise.

"Link, what's going on?" Janni asked.

Link looked up only to realize that he could not see her. "Where are you?" he asked.

"Are you kidding?" Janni asked. "I'm right in front of you."

Link slipped the goggles onto his forehead and located Janni hovering at eye level with the chest behind her. Then he looked down to see that the skeleton was now missing. "Where'd it go?" he asked.

"What?" Janni asked. "Where'd what go?"

"There was a large skeleton thing here," Link said, pointing with the sword. Then he had an idea and pulled the goggles over his eyes. At the same time the skeleton reappeared, not moving from its prone position, Janni disappeared. "I can only see it with the goggles." Then he looked at about where Janni had been hovering. "But I can't see _you_ with them."

"Neat trick," Janni said in a flat voice.

Link glanced down at the skeleton. When he judged it safe, he replaced the sword. "You said the Sorian mystics looked for truths, right? Is it possible that they put their magic into these goggles?"

"I suppose, for a _certain_ sort of truth," Janni said. "Whatever you're seeing must still be part of the dream, just invisible to the naked eye. Otherwise, you'd probably see the technoworks instead."

"What about _you_ , though? Why can't I see _you_?"

"That's not too hard to imagine; I'm not really here."

Link gave the space where she should have been a confused look. "Huh?"

"Link, you know that I can cause illusions in this dreamscape. I'm _always_ in the Dreamweaver's Shield. When you see me, you're actually looking at another illusion."

"Oh. Okay, I think I get it." He looked back down at the skeleton. Then he glanced at the room's entrance. "Oh, you're kidding…"

"What now?"

Link pointed toward the doorway. "Those pedestals," he said. "There's another statue sitting on the left, but the right is empty."

"They both look empty to me."

Link nodded. "I probably walked right… past…" He could not finish vocalizing his thought and had to end with a shiver crawling up his spine.

"Wow. The Night sure missed _that_ opportunity."

"Yeah, sure," Link croaked, his left hand rubbing his throat. "If it meant to."

"Priorities must be a little different when you're a deranged, dream-eating creature."

Link glanced around and located a doorway to the left of the chest. "Let's get moving," Link said as he locked eyes back on the skeleton creature.

"Don't tell me you're gonna walk all the way to the _door_ like that," Janni said as Link started wandering toward the doorway.

"Do you _really_ trust anything in here? You can't even _see_ what I was fighting."

"Yeah, but you're about to hit—"

 _Thunk._ "Ow!" Link held onto his left elbow and turned to find that he had backed into the treasure chest. "Oh." He twisted to find the door and started backing toward it again. Even as he was moving into the other room, he made sure that the creature stayed down and none of the other statues came to life.

Then he turned to see the next room. Much to his relief, the room was constructed of brick with a single lantern overhead. It was much smaller than expected, but Link recognized this as the usual case with rooms that led below. In the middle of the room was a hole with a metal ladder awaiting use.

Link looked over the room once more before pulling the goggles down off his face. He used the back of his hand to wipe sweat from around his eyes. "Whew," he breathed.

"You okay?" Janni asked.

"I got sweat in my eyes," Link said. He sighed and wiped his brow with his bare forearm, careful not to clock himself with the shield. "Wow, I'm really sweating."

"I think you started when you smacked into the wall," Janni said.

"Yeah, and that skeleton… thing didn't help."

"Is someone up there?"

Link gave Janni a blank look, surprised to hear another female voice. "That isn't me," Janni said. "Honest."

"Hello?" the voice called. Link glanced down into the hole.

Then he climbed onto the ladder. "You're not even gonna _entertain_ the idea it might be a trap?" Janni asked.

"Trap or not," Link replied, "I gotta go down _eventually_."

"You mean you just _gotta_ see who the pretty voice is," Janni said as they both started to descend.

There was little light below, mostly caused by some body of water reflecting onto the surrounding walls. The top half of the walls, as well as the ceiling, were square tiles with low-relief curls and waves designed on the edge of each tile. Beneath those, spanning the remaining length to the floor, were larger panels of stone with rough-faced backgrounds and larger forms of the same relief design as the square tiles. Each panel was framed by a bluer, smoother material which looked like it could be either rock or steel. At the center of each wall was a gold panel depicting two pairs of spiraling tentacles rising out of a wavy plain. The floor was ceramic tile divided into large squares of cyan surrounded by a layer of blue and divided from each other by navy-colored pieces, the corner insets sporting a square off-color from the blue layer. This floor covered half of a long room; the other half was a large pool of water which seemed to cast its own glow. This was hardly unusual to Link since the last time he was in the waterworks area under an island, there was only a thin layer of transparent technoworks blocks between the open sky below and himself and the full-plate Stalarmor that had attacked him.

He stepped down onto the floor and turned to find the source of the voice huddled against the gold panel just to the side of the ladder. She had a slight tan complexion and long hair that could have been light blond or white. Her eyes were bright green, almost aglow in the room's poor lighting. She looked to be about Link's age, and there was something familiar about her face that Link just could not quite figure out. She wore a sleeveless dress with a bodice of white and a skirt of deep blue.

"Hello?" Link asked. "What are _you_ doing down here?"

"I-I don't know," the girl replied, trying to shrink against the wall. "I-I've been down here for quite a while now."

Link glanced to one side to see her pointed ears protruding from her hair. "You're Hylian?" he asked.

"Y-yeah, I guess."

"Are you one of the settlers that came to this island?"

"N-no. I was born here."

"What's your name?" At this, the girl fell silent and turned her eyes down to the floor. Link took it as a lack of trust and decided to switch tactics. "Do you want to get out of here?" The girl nodded. "Okay. C'mon, I'll take you back up."

"N-no, not yet," the girl quickly said, looking up at him.

"Why not?"

"My sister's still down here."

Link glanced around the room. "Where is she?"

The girl pointed to a doorway at the end of the room. "In there."

"Why?"

The girl looked down at the floor again, sorrow prevalent in her eyes. "We have been fighting. She will not come to the door."

"You two can't stay down here," Link said.

"I do not know what else to do."

Link indicated the doorway. "We'll both go get her. If you're gonna fight, you can do it outside where it's safer."

She appeared to hesitate, and then she gave a nod. Link started for the doorway, and she quickly took up stride beside him. He glanced at her twice as they crossed the room, still trying to figure out where he had seen her before. He knew that he did not know any of the residents on the island, but this made him a little hopeful. If there _were_ residents still alive like this girl and (with luck) her sister, then maybe there was a chance the other residents could be saved.

The other room proved to be a duplicate of the previous room, except there was no ladder out nor was there any other doorway. This probably explained why the lone figure in the room remained where she was, leaning against the wall on the far side. Link was about to call out when the girl with him suddenly ran forward, audibly sobbing. Link decided to jog closer, not wanting to interrupt should they decide to make amends. That, and his ankle was starting to throb with pain again.

The first girl tackled her sister into a hug, which the taller girl returned with a much cooler demeanor. Once Link was close enough, she looked up in response. Astoundingly, she also appeared to be about his age, with long, bright red hair tied into a single tail draped over the shoulder her sister was not crying on. She wore a green, one-piece dress with no sleeves, revealing her spindly arms. Her dark eyes looked on him with a gentle word of gratitude.

Link, however, switched from a friendly grin to dawning realization and ended with a glare and a firm jaw. And he only said one thing with such venom that the taller sister reacted with surprise.

"Meilont."

Link was finished with this illusion. He did not know the other girl's face, but he recognized the face of a friend that he had not seen for two years and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt could _not_ be up here, let alone on an island no one had visited for decades. The Night was toying with him again, for whatever perverse pleasure it gained from imitating two faces from his past. He gripped the goggles around his neck and slowly raised them to his face.

Both girls disappeared from sight. In their place were two masses of water vaguely holding their shapes.

A wave from the pool on his left dashed across the girls, leaving nothing as it then receded back into the pool like a person withdrawing a hand. Link immediately pulled the Sorian sword and turned to the pool.

Three thick arches of water rose from the surface. Link watched as a red sphere stopped at the top of the closest arch. It rotated to show Link a large, black spot like the iris of an eye. For a moment, they stared at each other, Link waiting the first move.

Then he noticed the water at his feet.

Once he looked down, a column of water shot up from the floor and hit him in the face. It was not a spray of water; the creature had turned the water into something as solid as a fist and struck him between the eyes. Link reeled backwards as if to fall over. But when he did not, he looked down to realize with only a moment's worth of clarity that he was chest-deep in a column of water which held him with the force of a clenched fist. Then he felt himself shaken violently from side to side. His grip on the Sorian sword failed, and the Dreamweaver's Shield threatened to rip his arm off if it wasn't released. He attempted to brace himself on the water only to find his arm would simply pass through. When it stopped, the best Link could tell was that he was rising, his mind spinning and his body heavy. He recovered soon enough to find the creature's eye nearby, staring at him through the safety of its other tentacle. It angled Link left and right as if examining him, even turning him backward as if to investigate the soles of his boots.

Then, without warning, Link found himself falling away from the eye. The tentacle holding him struck the floor hard, and Link's back registered pain before his head whipped onto the tile. The ensuing lapse in awareness left him numb to the two following strikes against the ground, all three occurring in such rapid succession that he might as well have been a doll for a temperamental toddler. He also did not realize when he had been thrown, his limbs lifeless as he sailed through the air. He saw the room spinning around him before hitting the floor again. It felt like a while before he had enough conscious thought to realize that he had been chucked into the corner next to the doorway. Finding movement in his limbs was like waking up after a long night. He untwisted himself and used a nearby wall to stand up again. He felt nauseous and wobbly, not at all helped by a fresh reminder of his injured ankle. He looked up at his foe to find that it had shifted the arch its eye occupied so that one end rested on the floor.

Link quickly reached behind his back and grabbed his boomerang out. Once he had one arm in his fingers, he twisted backward. His injured ankle made pivoting painful, and his aim was thrown by the surge of pain and subsequent stumble. He had to lean more weight onto the wall to keep from falling over.

When he looked up at the enemy again, he saw that, in spite of his bad aim, the creature had caught his boomerang with another tentacle. The eye glanced at the boomerang, and then it turned to Link. Although it had no expressions, Link could feel the creature's malice as it crushed the boomerang in the tentacle. He quickly turned to go for the doorway.

He found his feet locked to the ground by the water.

Then the water climbed up his legs. He swayed as the new tentacle picked him up. Then he watched with horror as the tentacle turned him upside-down over the pool. He only had a split-second to take in a breath, and then the creature dunked him into and out of the water several times. Each time, the force felt like when he had smacked into the wall earlier with the additional pain in his neck as his head was forced to twist at different angles. When it pulled him back out, he thought he was going to lose all of his equipment, his clothes, and his skin. He accidentally inhaled water at one point, confused by the trauma and unable to judge when he was out of the water. Once again, he felt his consciousness slipping.

Then the creature slammed him back onto the floor. It left him lying on his back, which only lasted as long as it took for Link to begin coughing up water. He rolled onto one side and expectorated until his throat burned. The creature hovered nearby, still safe inside its arch. Link slowly stood up and glanced down at himself. He still had the scabbard for the sword and the shield. He also had his gun belt, but a number of shells had been pulled from their slots. His trousers, although sopping wet, still remained in place, although he felt around his hips to find that the pockets' contents had been lost.

He looked up to see the creature observing those contents in the tentacle that had held him. This included his rigging knife, he realized with one hand where he had clipped it to his gun belt. The creature formed another tentacle from the thin layer of water on the floor.

And Link watched with his breathing arrested as the second tentacle took the form of the knife's blade almost twenty times larger. The tentacle then charged at Link. Link braced himself behind the Dreamweaver's Shield. The impact nearly resulted in Link's skull being split open if he had not raised the shield a little higher at the last moment. The full weight on him caused his right ankle to scream in agony, and he tried to shift so that his left leg was holding back more force. He heard motion to one side and watched as an additional tentacle rose from the pool, already formed into a blade. In a flash of understanding brought on by all of the adrenaline pushing his body to respond, he realized what this second blade was about to do. So he allowed his right shoulder to drop while he shifted to his left. The first blade struck the floor with an audible _pang_. He did not wait for the second blade to advance, instead turning with the intention of fleeing the room.

He did not see the blade change angles. Just two steps into his run, the blade advanced horizontally and skimmed over the floor. Link cried out in pain as the blade struck him mid-step, and he fell to the floor while the blade splashed out of existence against the nearby wall. He had just put all of his weight on his right ankle, so he flipped onto his back and sat up to examine the damage.

His right foot, up to just above his original injury, was missing. The fresh stump it had left behind was bleeding into the water, dying it almost black in this poor lighting.

The creature formed another tentacle to capture the blood and brought it closer to its eye to examine it. It pressed the blood into the same arch as its eye. Link watched as the blood soaked into the eye. The eye shivered as it looked up. Link could feel his body grow even number, although it was a toss-up whether it was dread or bleeding out. He did not have an opportunity to act as the creature then caught his right arm in one tentacle and his right leg in another. It raised him off the ground and brought him close. Link felt a crushing force on his leg and writhed in pain. He felt around with his free hand for something, _anything_ to fight back.

He found the flare gun still tucked into its holster. He pulled it out and fit the barrel between his teeth so that he could open the breach. His hand, slick from contact with the creature, fumbled two shells before yanking a third and shoving it into the breach. He did not have time to see what it was, consigning himself to this last act before the creature crushed him to death for his blood. He nearly dropped the gun hollering out as the bones in his legs snapped multiple times. He saved it by clutching it to his chest and closed the breach. He used the gun belt to pull the hammer back. Then he took aim at the eye.

 _FZZZZZZK!_ The eye flinched as the shell lodged into its arch. Link felt the pressure lighten on his leg as the creature now took interest in the mysterious object.

Then it reared up as the shell began spewing dark smoke into the arch. The tentacles holding Link suddenly lost their grip, and Link dropped hard onto his stomach. He looked up as the eye retreated for the floor just ahead of him. Although full of pain and weary from all the trauma, Link looked around for the sword. The eye was too busy trying to escape the smoke trapped within its body, now using its other tentacles to draw away the smoke toward the pool.

There! He had fallen not too far from where the sword had landed, sitting in the corner almost under the gold panel on this side of the room. Link used his elbows and uninjured knee to crawl across the floor toward it. He threw off the shield so that it was not making noise. He had to hurry; there was no telling when that smoke shell would die. Water splashed in his face.

The creature continued to flail about, now pressing the arch against the ceiling while more tentacles continued to pull the smoke out. Although the smoke was being drawn into the pool or one of the other arches, the amount released by Link's shell built quickly. The eye was so close to the floor that it could almost touch it. It swiped and swiped at the smoke, trying to reduce the volume before it dared move itself from the arch and risk taking the smoke with it.

Then the shell finally stopped spewing smoke. The creature frantically drew the smoke into another tentacle. Then it produced a tentacle so that it could transition out of the contaminated arch. It slid into the tentacle, just barely daring to touch the air.

And it skewered itself. It had not noticed the blade already in the tentacle since its attention was on the smoke still in its arch. It might not have noticed at all if not for the glowing, lime-green liquid swimming in the tentacle with it. So it aimed its iris toward the wound. This turned out to be an even bigger mistake because the iris was subsequently sliced on the blade, adding black to its body liquids.

It only had a few moments to see that Link, leaning on the wall, had positioned his sword opposite the arch so that he could stab without much movement. The eye shook for a moment. And then it simply popped, leaving a mass of red, green, and black liquids suspended in its tentacles before all of the water in the room submitted to gravity.

Link dropped the sword and fell backward onto the floor. In the final grips of exsanguination, he watched as the ceiling above turned yellow-orange. He knew he had won, but what would be the price this time? He could not take the time to assess the amount of punishment he had taken, his consciousness already gone before he could list a single thing.


	29. Day Seven, None the Safer

Chapter 29: Day Seven, None the Safer

…

"I think I'm getting feeling back n—YEOW!"

Nearly half an hour later, Link finally regained feeling in his right foot. It was the last in a battery of issues Nester had found once Link had woken up. The first was the fact that Link, having woke up feeling quite drained, had had to flop onto the deck just to make enough noise to wake Nester up. Even then, he had needed to hit his fist on the floor to let Nester know there was something wrong. Once the lights had gone on, Nester had found Link weak and pale. Link had barely been able to talk at first, busy as he was trying to catch his breath once more. The doctor had scrambled into action when he had identified the stridor in Link's respiration. A cry for help had escaped Nester as he used a manual resuscitator to bring Link's breathing back to normal. This had only lasted for a few moments since Link had returned to breathing normally almost right away. When Flower and Line had rushed in, Nester had ordered them to put Link on the examination table closer to the doorway. He had taken note of Link's poor color and discovered how cold and clammy his skin had felt. At the same time, he had found bruises on Link's neck, shoulders, elbows, and in the middle of his forehead and behind his head peeking out from beneath his hair, these final two being the worst spots of all. Link had started slapping his right thigh once he had felt more control in his limbs. Nester had ordered Line and Flower to pull off Link's undersuit and had been quite amazed to find most of Link's right leg nearly white while his right foot had looked to be turning blue, especially in comparison to his left foot. This had prompted Nester to tell them to put Link in the office chair instead as he had checked Link's pulse and breathing.

Link had begun recovering quickly, regaining his color in the minutes it had taken for Line to find Leynne. Link had explained what had happened to his right leg in the dream while also mentioning the pins and needles sensation in the leg. Nester had tested his tactile sensation by sticking him with a sharpened tongue depressor. Link had been able to just barely feel the tongue depressor on his leg; his foot, however, had presented with no feeling at all. Nester had also discovered that the back of Link's throat had been irritated, which Link had told him had quite likely been the result of the monster in the dream trying to drown him.

"Well," Nester told him as he then watched Link's toes wiggle from running the blunt end of the tongue depressor across the bottom of his foot, "it looks like you're getting circulation back."

"Anything we should be concehned about, doctoh?" Leynne asked.

"You saw how it was when you got here, first officer," Nester said as he stood up to address Leynne. "Basically, if it starts doing that _again_ , come get me." Then he looked back to Link. "Can you lift it now?"

Link braced himself in the chair and raised his foot. "It still feels a little heavy," he said, "but it's better now."

Nester took in a breath and let it out in a long sigh. "Partial drowning, foot amputation, limb ischemia, blunt trauma, and severe hemorrhage," he listed as he stepped to his desk and rested a hip against the edge. He shook his head at Link and Leynne. "And all mostly resolved within an hour. This 'Night' thing sure likes to dish out some punishment, Captain."

"Is theh _any_ indication why this is happening?" Leynne asked. "I find I cannot fathom the connection between imaginary injuries and _real_ symptoms."

Nester crossed his arms and appeared to ponder to himself. "I _think_ —and I cannot stress that enough—that most of these symptoms are being caused by Captain Link's body itself."

Leynne turned to share a look with Flower, who could only shrug in response. "I don't quite undehstand."

"Most of these things that have been occurring can just as easily be caused by the body as it can by real injuries," Nester explained. "The contusions could be a combination of increased blood pressure along with the cells in the capillary walls _perceiving_ the injury and simply falling apart because they don't believe there's anything to connect to." He held up a hand and quickly added, "That, though, is one of the _bigger_ maybes. His breathing problem is laryngospasm, a common response to drowning. The vocal folds close to prevent water from entering the lungs. Obviously enough, this also makes breathing difficult. Once he was awake, the vocal folds started to relax. The irritation at the back of his throat was likely caused by an uptake in breathing to compensate for having his airway closed off."

"And the leg that was allegedly crushed with the foot amputated?" Leynne asked.

"The perceived trauma to the leg included a greater amount of blood loss which, in more extreme circumstances, causes vasoconstriction. His body thought it was bleeding out, so it started contracting most of its branching arteries to help keep most of its blood volume—" He placed his hands on his chest. "—up here in the torso, which would help keep him alive. When the foot was amputated, the body thought that it had to close off those open arteries completely to keep from bleeding out. The perception of being crushed as well as blood loss caused by the amputation forced a reduction of blood to the leg to prevent the same thing. Everything the captain experienced is simply the results of ischemia, the lack of blood to major tissues." He twitched his neck and clicked his tongue. "Quite frankly, Captain, if you hadn't woken up soon, it's possible that the ischemia in your foot would have resulted in tissue _death_ , and I would've needed to remove your foot in _reality_ , too."

"What can I do for it?" Link asked.

Nester frowned as he took another moment to think. "I can only come up with two solutions," he said. "The first one is simple. If you lose another limb like that, wake up immediately so you can get blood flow returned to it. If you wait too long, I just might have to cut it off."

"If prioh stories ah any indication," Leynne said, "The Night is just as likely to finish its machinations befoh Link has a chance." Nester nodded in agreement.

"What's the other solution?" Link asked.

"Use needles and tubes to bypass most of your major arteries and pump blood directly from your central system into your extremities," Nester said with a flat tone. Link opened and closed his mouth for a moment, shocked by the idea.

"That's… ratheh _extreme_ , isn't it?" Leynne asked, his features contorted with disgust.

"Reckless, really, but I've seen it done," Nester replied. "The clinic I practiced at occasionally had crushing injuries that caused some of the smaller arteries in a limb to collapse, and we would use a thin rubber tube to join a pair of needles together to keep circulation going before infarction set in. But that's too drastic, Captain. All the tubing would cause your blood pressure to drop, the needles might cause subdural infection, sepsis, maybe even infection of the arteries… and that's not counting what might happen if you take blunt trauma on top of a blood vessel with a needle in it. It's scary enough to try in a clinic. On this ship? I'd only make that kind of call if you were down to your last limb. There wouldn't be much else of you after that."

Flower, who had gone unnoticed for a while, let out a whistle. "Captain," he said. "If that doesn't scare you into not losing any limbs, I can't think of anything that _would_."

"Trust me, I'm in complete agreement," Link replied. He stood up, one hand on the nearby desk to keep himself steady. "How's the crew doing?"

"With a couple of exceptions, most of them have coped well with the change in plans," Leynne said.

"What exceptions?" Link asked as he half-limped toward the bed that his gear rested on.

"Cale and Lilly have declined to pahticipate," Leynne said. "It appeahs that both of them have made a sobriety pact 'in the name of knowledge' and ah attempting to readjust themselves to the new schedule. I don't know how Cale intends to last considering his and Line's trips to the library."

"He says it's all willpower," Line spoke up from the doorway.

"Most of the deck crew have taken well," Leynne continued as Link sat on the bed and slowly pulled his trousers on. "But I'm a little concehned about the engine crew. On top of the incident between Geohdie and Beech, being down to a two-man watch has made it difficult foh them to keep each otheh awake."

"Oh, speaking of which," Link said, turning to look at the bed at the far end of the sick bay. "How is he, Doctor?"

"Anesthetized," Nester replied as he followed Link's gaze. "I stitched up most of his lacerations, and he _was_ conscious last night. I put him out with an anesthetic, though. You don't dream on anesthetics, and I didn't want him to flail around if he had a nightmare; some of those sutures are in pretty iffy areas."

"What ah his chances?" Leynne asked.

"It's usually a close fifty-fifty with brain trauma," Nester told him. "He may be fine in a few days, but a secondary injury could take him between now and a few months later. There's really no way to tell until it happens." He looked at Leynne. "How about Beech?"

"Relaxed," Leynne answered. "Confinement hahdly needs to be moh of a punishment; he's receiving the same treatment as the rest of the crew. Though, Captain." Link looked up from belting his trousers. "I _do_ wondeh how long you intend to leave him theh."

"As long as necessary," Link replied.

"And how long is _that_?"

Link glanced past Leynne. "Mister Flower, would _you_ want to work with an airman who just beat the hell out of another?"

"Not unless I had orders," Flower replied. "Even then, I wouldn't turn my back on him."

Link nodded. "I guarantee the rest of the engine crew think much less of him than that," he then said to Leynne. "And with The Night affecting _all_ of us, how long do you think it'll be until one of them takes a spare timber to _his_ head?"

Leynne looked down at the deck for a moment. "I hadn't considehed that, sih," he said.

"Until they've calmed down, too," Link said, "Beech is safer confined. But you're still right; we can't leave him there with The Night getting to us." Link paused with his hand on his tunic, trying to come up with a solution. "Allow him to eat in the galley. Let the crew get used to him again. And assign an airman to keep an eye on him in case trouble starts."

"I'd like to volunteer, Lieutenant," Flower said.

Leynne gave him a surprised look. " _You_ , Misteh Floweh?" he asked. "You just said you wouldn't tuhn youh back on him."

"That's right," Flower replied. "But I've been listening to you this whole time, too. I don't trust him, but I know it isn't his fault, either. Find me someone else on the day shift that can understand _that_."

Leynne looked to Link, who only gave a shrug before pulling his tunic over his head. "Very well, Misteh Floweh," he said. "I think breakfast should be ready by now. Would you escoht Misteh Beech to the galley?"

"Aye aye, sir," Flower said, snapping a salute. Leynne's response was a dismissive flick of the wrist, and Flower stepped out immediately.

Link looked at his second-in-command for a moment and realized that he was staring at a man slowly descending into lethargy. "Are you all right, Leynne?" he asked.

Leynne heaved a sigh. "This has been quite a toll on my mind lately," he admitted. "The fact that I can't see Beech potentially being in dangeh concehns me. I feel as if I've missed an impohtant factoh in this ship's operation."

"You feel like your attention's slipping?" Nester asked. "Like you're looking for something right in front of you?"

"Yes."

"Well, that's just standard fatigue. Take a shot and go get some sleep."

"Go ahead," Link said just as Leynne was about to speak up. "I'll be on-deck in a few minutes."

"Yes, sir," Leynne sighed.

…

"9/24, Expedition Day 42.

"I got back from the underground river about an hour ago. I'm pretty sure I completely bled out in the dream, but I think I beat that water creature down in the technoworks. Whether that means I beat The Night, well, I suppose we'll have to figure that out. I can't go now because it's eight in the morning and Nester just sent Leynne to bed. I don't wanna leave the crew without either of us, so I'm waiting until Leynne gets up before I go look at the river.

"The next place will be the mines Leynne's party located up north. I have to say I'm not really looking forward to it."

…

Link stared at the tower in the center of the island as the _Conductor_ drifted toward the east river. He could tell just by the fact that it stood there that he would eventually have to climb it. Although he remembered Line and Gillam showing him the mass of The Night they had encountered, it felt more poignant than before. There could not be any technoworks in there, and that just heightened the sense. How well would The Night guard something with even more mystery than the library and river, two structures which the Obeetans probably buried out of fear? Then… for that matter, why did the Obeetans block off the library and the river and _not_ the tower?

The clouds around them made telling the time of day difficult, but The Night had not yet gotten to disrupting clocks. Once Leynne had gotten up, Link had immediately called Line, Dubbl, and Gillam together to form a shore party. They did not have any barrels for gathering water; that would be taken care of later. For now, Link wanted to see if Janni was correct about the chests the Sorians had left behind.

He glanced down at the island beneath the launch. But it was Gillam who called across the deck, "I think I see the well!"

Link sighed out some of his anxiety and turned toward the stern. "Line, full stop," he said as he strolled along the bulwark toward the pilot's station. "Take us down _carefully_. We don't need to bounce off the ground again."

" _Boy_!" Line declared as he shoved the throttle control to the rear. "Doesn't _anyone_ take 'sorry' anymore?!"

"You never apologized," Link told him.

"You didn't get after me for it _then_!"

Link stepped up to the partition surrounding the pilot's station. "Hey, Line," he said, leaning his torso over the partition.

"What?" Line asked, glaring at Link.

" _Carefully_." Line reached up in attempt to slap the smile off Link's face, but Link quickly straightened up and out of his reach. Link enjoyed a quick smirk before striding to the transom. "C'mon, Dubbl," he said as he hauled up a sand bag from the deck onto the transom. "Let's drop anchor."

Dubbl gave the sand bag she was picking up a confused look. "It, sand," she told him.

Link gave one shoulder a shrug. "Close enough. Airships can use _anything_ as an anchor."

"Including Captain?"

Link glanced aside at her to find her giving him a flat look. "I'd laugh if someone hadn't _tried_ it before," he said, mirroring her expression.

Dubbl's face twisted to show her disbelief. "Captain, you, too small."

"They wrapped chains around him," Line said as he stepped around the pilot's station bound for the deckhouse.

"Line, The Night doesn't need any more ideas," Link told Line's back. Then he shoved his sandbag over the stern.

"I've got the spare line secured, sir," Gillam called from the starboard side.

"Good," Link replied. "Throw it overboard." He noticed Dubbl picking up the rope net attached to the transom and quickly stepped back to the other side to help. "Dubbl, I want you to come down with me."

"Why?" Dubbl asked as they dropped the net overboard. "Gillam, bigge'."

"Gillam and Line are gonna stay here," Link explained. "If we get into trouble, they can pull us out of the well fast. But I'd rather not go down there alone."

"So we two die?" Dubbl asked.

Link gave her an exasperated look. "It's not gonna be like that. Just trust me."

"You two die," Line said as he stepped back onto the deck with a pair of lanterns in his hands.

"Shut up, Line," Link and Dubbl told him at the same time.

Link and Dubbl descended to the ground and used the spare line Gillam had tied to the launch's bulwark as a means of descending into the well. Link felt some measure of surprise seeing the cavernous river again, having gotten used to the idea that he would only ever see it once. Everything was just as it had been the first time he had descended: shallow, slow-flowing water in the middle of a vault of soft earth. Light was much scarcer due to the storm cloud around the island, so once Link was back on dry ground, he quickly pulled off the lantern dangling from his gun belt and struck a match for it. Dubbl did the same a few moments later while mumbling under her breath in Geltoan; if her walk was anything to go by, she was dismayed at having her work trousers soaked beneath the knees.

Link retraced his steps in the soft earth, moving slowly inward just as he had before. Dubbl quietly followed, her eyes directed to what little else of the underground she could see while the rest of her senses told her where Link was. While she suffered from paranoia driven by the radical change in her sleeping habits, Link could not help feeling a little excited. Everything seemed right to him. He did not even need to see the technoworks to know that The Night had been driven out.

This feeling must have spurred him on faster than he thought because they quickly arrived outside the entrance to the technoworks. This time, there was no blackness to blot out the warm, vivid colors of living rock. Or, at least, that was what Link first thought. No, with certainty, The Night had retreated from this area of technoworks. However, like the technoworks connected to the library, this location had been marred by The Night's activity. The first room, which could not have been any larger than the _Conductor_ 's deckhouse, sported black slash marks crisscrossed into an ugly shape on top of a field of flashing red. Link found it a little distressing, but he was also relieved that it only covered the wall opposite the entrance.

A short hallway with a downward slope led Link and Dubbl into the next room. Here, there was only one area where the technoworks had been injured: the spot where the inhuman skeleton had nearly ambushed him. Compared to the first room, however, it was merely a shallow cut in the floor barely surrounded by a soft throb of red light. The chest, in about the same spot near the single cut, sat on a pedestal that barely brought the chest up above his knees.

"Zis blace, boding," Dubbl commented.

"'Boding'?" Link asked as he stepped up to the chest.

"It not be fun," Dubbl told him.

"Oh." He used the toe of one boot to trace the cut in the floor nearby. "Well, trust me: these technoworks aren't any more fun if there's something _living_ in them." He turned and carefully lifted the chest's lid up.

"Zat, what?" Dubbl asked.

Link reached his opposite hand in and retrieved the chest's contents. "A pair of goggles," he told her, holding the goggles up to show her. "They don't look like much, but they kept me from getting killed again."

Dubbl gave the goggles a difficult look, head tilted to one side. "Zis reason we come?" she then asked, turning a skeptical eye to him.

Link sighed. "Yeah, seems a little stupid," he admitted as he stuffed the goggles into a pocket. While closing the chest, he added, "Other than confirming The Night gone, I suppose this looks like a waste of time, but I honestly think these might give me more of a chance."

"You fight ze Night in you' sleep, I unde'stand," Dubbl said, crossing her arms. "But goggles not impless."

"I know," Link said. "It's a little hard to explain. We're done here, though. Let's get back to the _Symphony_."

…

Link was half-tempted to talk Dubbl into faking a panic if only to entertain Line, but he settled for just packing up the _Conductor_ and returning to the _Island Symphony_. Their eyes felt like they had to take some time to adjust to the cloudy, day-lit sky until Link realized a few minutes after setting out that noon had passed a long time ago, and the _Conductor_ was returning in the late hours of the afternoon. This was confirmed by the fact that Leynne was standing on the poop deck as they returned, watching over the launch's embarkation. He had on a fresh dress shirt and slacks, and Link nodded his approval of his second-in-command having allowed himself some downtime.

"Link, I'm overdue for my relief," Line whined after the _Conductor_ finally settled onto its supports.

"Then go," Link told him, his tone indicating the obviousness of the action.

With little warning, Line elbowed past Link and mounted the ladder Lwamm had just set against the transom. He slid down the ladder and ran out of the boat deck like any other young man in desperate need to relieve himself. This prompted Gillam to call after him, "You should've gone before we left!"

"Captain," Leynne called out as he stepped into the boat deck. "Good news, I hope?"

"You bet," Link replied. He paused to catch one of the lines Twali had thrown up to him. "The river's clear, so we can get all the water we need."

"Ah," Leynne responded with a nod. "So. Wateh today, rations tomohrow?"

"That's the plan," Link said.

"I cehtainly hope so," Leynne said. "Chief Cale and Ihleen have retuhned to the library. I felt it necessary to send Gold along, but it _has_ left the night shift shoht-handed."

"That's fine," Link called down, forced to raise his voice since he had to cross to the opposite side of the _Conductor_ to drop the securing line to Lwamm. He hustled back across the deck so he could address Leynne further. He leaned his hands on the bulwark and said, "The Night doesn't seem interested in bothering us unless we're asleep, so I think we can afford to be short a man where we need it."

"Of couhse," Leynne replied with a nod. "Nesteh repohted that Geohdie was awake and responsive this aftehnoon. He has little memory of the… attack…" He paused to shake his head. "… but Nesteh does not fohsee any complications foh the time being. I've assigned Hunteh to watch Beech foh dinneh. So fah, otheh than some moments of silent self-loathing, Beech has been calm and collected."

Link finished tossing another line down to Lwamm and returned to the other side of the launch. "Well _that_ 's good," he said as he folded his arms and braced them on the bulwark. "How about the crew? Are they comfortable with him?"

"As it appeahs, you weh right. The crew ah not very relaxed with him, but I think the wohd has spread a little betteh regahding the things that can happen to a pehson heh. They haven't at least tried to pummel him."

"And how about the night shift in the engine room?" Link asked as he stood up.

Leynne followed Link toward the launch's stern with his eyes as he said, "Hahley has volunteehed to retuhn to the night shift foh the duration. I've also asked that both shifts at least try to spend some time above-deck to help relieve whateveh tension might remain afteh the incident. Ah—theh _is_ one otheh issue I mean to address."

Link barely heard Leynne as he climbed down. He rounded the _Conductor_ 's stern and asked, "Something new?"

"Well, ratheh, something I'd feahed once it became apparent we'd be heh foh some time."

Link nodded at the open doors under the _Conductor_ 's bowsprit. "Can we take it outside?"

"Of couhse." Leynne turned and fell into stride beside Link, taking a bit of effort since Link was much shorter. "Ouh poweh generatoh is operating almost at the minimum. It appeahs that the outgoing breeze is insufficient to supply us. Which _I_ happen to find unusual."

Link, upon stepping onto the quarterdeck, took in a deep breath and sighed it out in disbelief. He approached the railing at the front of the deck and turned to address Leynne. "The Night again?"

"Ostensibly," Leynne told him. "If it undehstands ouh electrical system, it likely knows how to stop it. The outbound breeze is the only souhce of atmospheric current."

"Only the _regular_ source," Link reminded him. "It still gets windy up here, too."

"Of couhse. Howeveh, unless the winds pick up against this stohm, we could be looking at a complete loss of poweh in a matteh of houhs, pehhaps a handful of days."

Link nodded. "Do you think you can conserve power by disconnecting the lights on the weather deck?"

"Not by much. And it will leave the deck in the dahk not long befoh the rest of the ship's lighting fails."

Link took in a deep breath again and crossed his arms. "Well, I guess we should prepare for that. Did we ever get rid of that crate of replacement lanterns we picked up on Forge Island?"

Leynne wrinkled his brow. "I'll have to check with Cale, but I don't believe we did."

"Okay, well, we can use those. Someone will have to remember to light and put them out each night."

"Aaaand… wheh ah we supposed to mount them?"

Link pointed as he said, "On each mast, maybe the head of each stairs…" He turned and glanced up at the railing of the poop deck. "We should see if we can bolt the bases down. The forecastle and the bow shouldn't be much trouble, but I don't know any way to put them on the poop deck."

"Especially considering that we left a lahge _hole_ in the middle of the deck," Leynne said with an air of lament.

"Come on, I'll show you about where to put them."

Link turned and strode toward the starboard staircase. Leynne followed along as he asked, "Theh's a specific guide to theih placement?"

"There is if…" Link's thoughts faltered as he started for the starboard mizzen-mast. However, he had cast his eyes across the nearly empty deck and spotted someone near the port bulwark. He judged the Gelto crewman to be Ray, the only one who actually preferred wearing the blue tunic that was the Skyriders' uniform. An uneasiness fell over Link as he watched Ray's head nod. His stride toward the mast slowed for a moment, and then he started toward Ray. Leynne did not realize what Link was watching until he saw Link change directions.

"Ray?" Link called across the deck. For a second, he thought he saw Ray look up at him. Then her head drooped again, so he called out, "Ray!" He felt his heart start to beat in his chest as he grew close enough to tell that she was not standing at the bulwark. She was sitting _on_ the bulwark. With none of the rigging within arm's reach. A chill spread throughout Link's body, and he picked up his pace as he called once more, "Ray!"

"Ray!" Leynne hollered, his voice tense as he realized what Ray was doing. The noise caught attention from Lwamm, who was securing the boat deck's doors, and Twali as she was climbing the steps back up to her post on the poop deck.

Link was halfway across the deck. Ray's head hung, and her shoulders had slumped. Link could only conclude that, if she had not fallen asleep yet, she was close. "Ray!" he snapped, hoping that feigned anger might help jar Ray to awareness again. He was correct; Ray's body gave a slight jerk in response.

And then she began turning away from the ship.

"RAY!" Link hollered before he broke into a run.

"LAYNA!" Leynne immediately called as he tried to run after his commander.

Events slowed to a crawl. Link watched as Ray finally tumbled sideways over the bulwark. Her whole body was limp, leaving Link to suspect that she was in no way aware that she was falling. First, her head and half of her torso disappeared behind the bulwark. Her feet lifted from the deck. By the time the rest of her torso disappeared, her legs flailed into the air as if her body was trying to save itself with its own will. It was so surreal that Link might have stopped to laugh. He could not reach her in time to grab her; her feet, the last part of her he could see, were disappearing too fast. Just a half-second longer to the bulwark, Link placed his feet together and took a flying leap over the bulwark.

Suddenly, Ray was not falling anymore. Link saw her feet approaching so fast that he could think of nothing better to do than wrap his arms around her ankles and hold tight. It was not until Link held her ankles secure to his shoulders that it occurred to him that he had just jumped clear of the bulwark.

In the two seconds it had taken him to realize that both he _and_ Ray were going to fall, someone hooked a hand into the belt holding his tunic tight to his waist. Gravity exerted its control over all things with weight, and his belt came to a sudden stop. Link thought his body was going to fold forward to the point that he would actually kick himself in the face. Ray, with no ability to brace herself for the stop, slipped through Link's grip. Link's mind immediately registered that Ray was falling away again, and his hands snapped forward and wrapped around Ray's left ankle with all their strength.

The jolt from being caught again caused Ray to stir. Her drowsy gaze took a moment to clear itself. Then, once she realized that she was hanging head-first over a maw of dark, swirling clouds and lightning, she let out an ear-splitting scream of utmost fright.

Link flinched, and he felt the anchor holding onto the back of his belt jerk. He called down, "Ray!"

Ray stopped screaming and looked past her chest to see not just Link holding her ankle like a steel trap, but Layna holding Link by his belt with one hand while Leynne had his hands gripped around Layna's opposite forearm. Leynne was pulling back just enough that Layna was able to brace her feet against the deck, saving Link and Ray the pain of potentially swinging and bashing against the hull.

"Ray!" Link called. "It's gonna be all right!"

"Layna," Leynne said through his teeth. "Can you pull them up?"

"'Inu nadlwaylayximak," Layna chanted in response, her voice shaky. "'Inu nadlwaylayximak. 'Inu nadlwaylayximak. 'Inu nadlwaylayximak…"

"Amda Lyayn!" Lwamm hollered as she and Twali rushed toward them. "'Inan nayx midhujak sazalxiym max!?"

"Lwamm, saylotan!" Leynne ordered. "Twali, thaylwocan 'anw robat 'amodhafi!"

"'Anw robat 'amodhafi?" Twali asked while Lwamm took Layna's hand with both of hers.

"'Ak robat 'amodhfi 'imnan saj," Lwamm told Twali.

"Oh!" Twali responded before sprinting to the portside staircase.

"Nad-nadfaysolwan," Ray said in a weak voice, shaking her head. "Nadfaysolwan."

"It's okay," Link told her. "It's okay; I got you." He grunted as a shift from Layna caused his belt to slide lower and press on the belt holding his trousers up, causing the buckle to bite into his waist. "Leynne! What's going on?!"

"One moment, Captain," Leynne replied. "Twali's gone below to open the cahgo dooh."

Link glanced toward the ship and noticed that he was just below eye level with the upper gap between the door and the hull. "Is this the same door that's gonna hit me in the head?" he asked.

"I doubt if she can open it that fast," Leynne said.

Link heard metal squealing and closed his eyes to brace himself. _Thunk._ "Ow," Link grunted, realizing he had overestimated the pain of the large door striking him just left of the crown of his head. He pushed his head against the door, but it was Layna who turned him so he was out of the way.

Twali continued to open the door. Once it was close enough, Ray grabbed the edge of the door. Then she used the interior frame to shift herself over the door, aided by Layna repositioning her feet on the hull. When Twali finished opening the door, she stepped out onto the door and wrapped her arms around Ray's waist. Then she looked up at Link and nodded. Link was reluctant, but he released Ray's ankle. Both Twali and Ray cried out in surprise as Ray's legs flailed, causing Twali to lose balance and stumble backwards. For a second, Link thought Twali might pitch forward and fall over the edge with Ray. But Twali finally tripped, and both women— _WHUMP_ —fell back into the ship.

Link breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, Layna," he said in a weak voice. "Drop me onto the door."

Instead, he felt himself rising. Link looked up as best as he could, and he nearly bumped into the hull when Layna climbed back onto the deck. He reached a hand out, and Lwamm grabbed it. Although he knew that they were pulling him back on-board, he still reached a foot over the bulwark just to be sure.


	30. The Giant's Forest

Chapter 30: The Giant's Forest

…

Link soon ordered Ray, Leynne, and Layna down into the galley where they could sit and calm down from their brush with death. Dholit was already in the galley, where she explained that both she and Layna were still struggling with their peculiar sleeping habits. Leynne retrieved for each of them, including Dholit, a cup filled with just a few sips of rum to help them mellow out. He was certain to watch how much each drank so as not to accidentally instigate drowsiness so close to the time of The Night's own awakening. Very little in the way of words passed among them; Dholit only heard about the incident on-deck from Leynne. In the excitement, Link had forgotten about Leynne's concerns for their electricity. Although a flicker from the galley's single overhead light reminded him, he was hardly in the mood to address it.

Ray, sitting at the dining table with her eyes cast to her lap, finally decided to speak up. "'Inu nayx midhujak sazabthoyf," she said in a voice barely above a whisper.

Link, who stood at the head of the table near her with his bottom leaning on the edge, glanced over his right shoulder to look at her. Then he looked over his left at Dholit. Dholit took her cue with only a moment to formulate a translation in her head. "She says she should apologize," she told Link.

"I should think that an apology is _hahdly_ necessary," Leynne, seated next to Dholit but facing away from the table so that he could lean forward, spoke up. "We all know what this place is doing to us."

"Naxiban yayxwotak wabin abthif," Dholit told Ray. "'Inan mathosak. 'Inan hiyconwotak nwik sayfitt. 'Inan nadlwaybiliynak 'al nadlwaycaynil."

"'Itab marix 'inu 'alaxomya codhayxwya'ak taf garixwya'ak," Ray replied, looking up to glare at Dholit.

Dholit turned her head toward Leynne and said, "She says that what she did was reckless and stupid."

"And she's going to continue this self-loathing until she tihes of it," Leynne told her. "We can't hold a man responsible foh beating anotheh to a pulp. Why should we hold heh responsible foh falling asleep on the deck? It could have happened at any otheh time in any otheh place. Tonight was just bad luck."

"It's a bit of a hahd sentiment to translate, Leynne," Dholit said.

"Give it your best shot," Link told her, crossing his arms against a chill he suddenly felt. "If she keeps blaming herself, The Night will just latch onto it."

Dholit gave Link a tired look before heaving a sigh. "I will try," she told them. "Ray." Ray's attention snapped toward Dholit again. "Mayxwosan 'adhic 'ithab. Waba moytokak 'ak marix 'athiykwfya xodican dha' thil fiyk max?"

Ray gave Dholit a wary look before nodding. "Ay'a," she answered.

"Nwaki thukwfya'ak foltab 'ak sanway joydhaysya za'aytn zhamin ablun zhal," Dholit continued. "Zhamin idha' golwaynya'ak oksitha'. 'Itab zhi nadlwaynwarotya'ak nwaki. 'Ak Dhayba cablya'ak nwiy oksitha' 'ulwis 'ak sanway bulnya zhi nayx midhuj sazaszhiyl zhamin nwubali. Idha zhi fidhisak bathifi, 'itab nadfidhisak 'ajti. Wamathosak max?"

Ray took a while to come up with an answer, and Link and Leynne turned their attention to her, concerned that Dholit's words, whatever they had been, might have upset her. However, she bowed her head and gave a barely visible nod, followed by the words, "Ay'a, Giltiyn Dholit. 'Inu mathosak."

Dholit looked up at Link and said, "I think I've gotten haah to undahstand."

"Salya, 'ak maddix—" Ray spoke up again. This caused Dholit, Link, and Leynne to look at her immediately. However, she quickly closed her mouth and looked down at the table.

Leynne shared a look with Dholit before leaning forward and asking Ray, "Dhol?"

Ray heaved a sigh and addressed Dholit. "'Inu mudhjak zathhiydh wabin taris."

Dholit made a difficult face and pointed to her own chest. " _'Imayn_ taris?" Ray nodded. "'Oyfzhax dha' dhol naday?"

"Waba nadmoytokak 'oyfzhax dha' dhol naday?" Ray's eyes flickered toward Link. "'Inu mudhjak zabaytkw zhal."

Dholit's response was a worn grin just barely showing her customary devilishness. "Ah, lwuzhdak, lwuzhdak. 'Itab waba nayx midhujak sazamtoyk My Captain sayl odi naygodhak zhamin giyt. 'Al coylaxom 'iydhonot zhamin 'adhij xoc 'athi'min, 'al coylaxom doyxathit nwik 'ilthan'afi'il… 'al coylaxom bonwithot zhamin silwabin, zhi nayx layxomak nayfsik may' zhi joydhos nwik giyt zasulwb. 'Inu 'udhjak kiylwubtya zhal rituc nwiy 'oyfzhax 'ithab." She nodded toward Layna, who was standing behind Ray's left shoulder. "'Itab Layna mathosak kwuhat 'immu tac."

Ray could only blink at her for a moment. "Sanimyayl?" she asked as she turned to look at Layna.

"Lwuzhdak," Layna replied. "My Captain zhajxya'ak 'imayn silwabin. Zhi nayx nadyijoydhiysak zatniyl 'inon."

"'Inu nadlway'oydhacak nway," Ray replied in a tone of awe. "Sanimyayal? Taf yabbid?"

"Taf maddix 'abothfi," Dholit spoke up again. Ray turned back to her and stared wide-eyed. Then she seemed to nod as her eyes fell to the table again.

"I hope you haven't found some way to _depress_ heh," Leynne told Dholit.

"I hahdly think so," Dholit replied. Then she let out an audible breath and stood up. "I feel as if I've done us both a favoh. My Captain, Leynne, if you will excuse me."

"Sure," Link answered. Dholit flashed a smile, one which still looked weary, before turning to walk away. Ray looked up as Dholit left. Then, without a word, she stood and followed. Link glanced at Layna to say, "You can go on back to duty, Layna."

"Ay'a, My Captain," Layna answered. She must have taken Link's no-hiding order to heart, as she neglected to disappear from sight as she slowly wandered after Ray.

Leynne gave a half-sigh, half-growl as he allowed his head to loll backwards, giving him a view of the deckhead. "Shall we tie them to the masts next?" he asked Link.

"I don't know," Link confessed. He uncrossed his arms and turned around to face Leynne. "But The Night _has_ turned this ship into a hazard. The crew can break out in a fight on any deck before we can react, and now our deck crew is getting so drowsy that they could fall asleep in any one of _dozens_ of dangerous spots. What should we do? Take them onto the island?"

"I think it would be a bad idea," Leynne said.

"Why?" Link asked with a little more challenge to his voice than he had intended.

This tone was not lost on Leynne, who turned to look at him with one eyebrow raised. "It's a matteh of leverage at this point," he said with an even tone. "Right now, we ah on the ship, and The Night has decided that we need to suffeh. Howeveh, while we'h on the ship, The Night cannot do anything to the ship to prevent us from leaving. Should we decide to move the crew to the island, what prevents The Night from destroying the _Symphony_?"

"Oh," Link replied. He pressed the fingers of one hand into his eyes. "Right."

"We've seen that The Night is capable of manipulating the wind _and_ the moorings."

"No, I get it," Link said, holding up his free hand to stop Leynne. He took the other hand away from his face and added, "I just… wish it was easier."

"Yes, it _does_ seem we lack options," Leynne agreed as he sat up to lean on his knees. "With The Night gone from the riveh… what does that leave us? Two moh locations?"

"In the technoworks, yeah," Link replied. "But that's not all. Part of The Night is in that tower in the center."

"I remembeh. The question is: do we intehfeh with _that_ paht as well? One would assume that The Night cannot control the technowohks from theh."

"No. Probably not."

Leynne pulled a pocket watch and checked it. "Seven. It feels like we've been down heh foh _ages_."

"When does The Night wake up?"

"Two moh houhs."

"Nine o'clock? Really?"

Leynne closed the watch with a loud click. "That's as best as I can estimate it. Unfohtunately, the time tends to vary by about half an houh every night. Nine seems the eahliest, but my only indication is the _Obeetans_ waking."

Link nodded. "I suppose we should get ready for another night."

"I've asked Stan prepah some of his unnecessarily-hot, excessively-spicy bramble chili. I'm hoping the crew will fohgive me."

"Insomnia and arson?" Link asked, grinning. "You may only get away with having two pots poured down your _own_ throat."

Leynne stood up. He turned toward the stairs only to spin back to Link upon remembering something. "Oh, right. The generatoh."

"Just… do what you can with the lamps," Link told him with a dismissive handwave. "Maybe plan to mount some below, too; it won't be long until we need them."

…

"Same day, 1930.

"We nearly lost Ray today. She sat on the edge of the bulwark and fell asleep. If it hadn't been for the rest of us noticing, we might not have realize she'd fallen until someone tried looking for her. I just came to that conclusion ten minutes ago. I feel like I should do something to prevent my crew from just up and disappearing, but I don't know what. I can't make The Night go away any faster; my current rate is less than one technoworks a night. I also just realized that The Night is likely to be mad like before. I'll have to be extra careful tonight, or else it might catch me again. I wish I had some insight into how it organizes its nightmares, but I went into the river three times, and there just wasn't any sort of consistency.

"On top of our supply problems, Leynne told me that our wind generator isn't picking up enough wind to provide power. Leynne gives it a few days at best. I would hope to be out of here by then, but then there are a lot of things I'm hoping for. The best we can do are use our incidental shipment of lanterns to light the ship's decks at night. As lon as we don't lose the engine, we'll be all right.

"But then, we're still here. Nothing is all right."

…

Link left instructions for Leynne to inform him when the Obeetans had awakened. Later, he could hear the sigh in Leynne's voice as he reluctantly called into the sick bay only to have Nester sum up his thoughts on Stan's chili in a single vulgarity. Link sat up in response to find that the sick bay had its lights on. To Link's mild amusement, Line, Flower, and Cale were hovering near the front of the sick bay with revulsion on their faces while Nester mixed them… some kind of concoction at his desk. Link could not tell what it was, but, after watching Nester chase a healthy drink from one beaker with a relieved sigh, he assumed it to be something to kill the potency of Stan's chili. He could hardly blame his crew's reaction; Link had previously ordered Stan not to make the chili again unless it was for a dare. This had had the side-effect of his crew goading other airmen into trying the chili for the humor of watching said airmen scream like little girls. He had to admit a small amount of humor at the irony of actually putting the chili to use, even if his crew detested it, and was glad Stan kept the necessary ingredients on-board.

Janni had not been present when Link woke up. Fortunately, with his sleeping form still on the bed after he stood, he could reason that he was in the dream once more. He put his gear on, using the tight band on the new goggles to help hold his hat to his head. Then he squeezed past his groaning airmen so that he could descend into the orlop and retrieve the rigging knife and a pocketful of nuts. He was not sure if he also needed a rope, but he remembered that there would be some spare rope on the _Conductor_ if he needed. So he left.

And nearly bumped into Janni at the top of the steps. "Whoa!" he hollered as he tried to bring his feet to a sudden stop.

Janni stood on the main deck with her arms crossed and one eyebrow cocked. "Good evening to you, too, _Captain_ ," she said in a dry voice.

"Sorry," Link told her with an embarrassed smile. "I wasn't sure when you were gonna show up."

"I just about didn't," she told him.

This caused Link to give her a confused look. "Why not?"

"Don't get me wrong, Link; I _love_ a good suicide as much as the next captive. But what you're doing is _seriously_ disturbing."

Link stepped up to the deck so that he was eye-level with her. "I thought disturbing was your taste, too," he told her with genuine concern in his tone.

"Not on this level. Link, you killed a skeleton and _living water_! Don't you think something's fundamentally _wrong_ with that?"

Link half-grinned at her. "Janni, if you knew what I faced two years ago, you'd know why these things don't bother me that much. The Night isn't even the _largest_ thing I've had to fight."

"Maybe not, Link. But is it the _smartest_?"

Link frowned as he considered the differences between Cunimincus and The Night. "I don't know. Maybe?"

"How about the most creative? Most _powerful_? You've been killed _twice_. And, face it, you didn't really survive those fights at the bottom of the technoworks, either."

"What are you worried about?" Link asked, his confusion masking most of his impatience.

"I'm _worried_ that you might be getting in over your head," Janni replied, her face forming a scowl. "When you broke off the first part in the library, The Night was mad. But when you broke off the _second_ part, the ground shook so bad that some of the buildings gave way." She punctuated by pointing a hand over his head toward the island.

Link turned to look at the island over the hatchway. Although he did not really have the island's skyline memorized, he could tell something was off at his first glance. His first conclusion was that the tower at the center had suddenly become taller since the last time he looked in its direction. Then he saw a couple of gaps in the black sky near the base of the tower. Link decided to trust what Janni had said, although he would have to take a closer look once he took the _Conductor_ out. So he looked up at her and asked, "Those missing buildings aren't part of the dream?"

"No. They would've fallen early this morning, though I doubt your crew was really paying attention."

"Do you know what they were?"

Janni's scowl disappeared with a wide-eyed look of mild confusion. "Not really. Why do you ask?"

Link gave her a side-glance over one shoulder. "Just wondering if they were important or not."

"To _you_? Maybe. To The Night, _definitely_ not. You've seen it in the tower. That's the only place it wants to be, so it'll protect it, maybe even more than when it tried to protect the river." She gave a weak grunt of a chuckle. "So I can only imagine that its attempt to defend itself from you tonight might fall somewhere in between those two."

"What, the river and the tower?" Link asked, half-turning toward her.

"Yep."

Link admitted to himself a dose of trepidation. He had already seen what happened when The Night had decided not to pull any punches. Still, he took in a breath and told Janni, "Well, whether it kills me or not, I still have a job to do."

"I don't think you're taking me seriously, Link."

Link shrugged. "So what if I'm not? I have to do something before my crew kills itself. Or were you not around when Ray fell over the side?"

"Oh, no, I was there," Janni answered as Link slid past her to start across the deck. She picked her feet up and floated along beside him. "Leynne's got the situation pegged; The Night won't destroy your ship while you're still on it. But that doesn't mean it's gonna stop tormenting your crew. That little stunt with the girl wasn't even _trying_. I'm pretty sure The Night did it just to get under your skin. You know, like every _other_ time it messes with your crew."

"Well, it's under there."

Once in the boat bay, Link set to work readying the _Conductor_ for sail as fast as he could. He had been a little out of practice since helming the launch had been left mostly to Leynne, Line, or Gold for the past two years, so he wound up bumping the _Conductor_ on the inner edge of the gap in the poop deck before raising the ship out of its bay. He had to push the _Conductor_ into the island's headwind, surprised by its strength in light of the _Island Symphony_ 's power problem. But then, the wind did not seem to pick up until Link was over the town and approaching the tower. Going near the tower was not his intention, but, according to the map Leynne had made (which he had stashed into his trouser pocket before he had gone to sleep), the mine he was looking for was almost precisely on the other side of the tower from the _Island Symphony_. Leynne had not mentioned a stronger wind to him, so Link decided that it was just The Night interfering.

Janni did not have any input on the matter. She had barely paid attention to the trip, having chosen to sit on the deck behind the pilot's station and hum to herself. Link was not concerned with asking her anything at any rate. Her fretting about The Night's temperament had seemed to be the only thing on her mind, although she hardly acted like it since they had left the ship.

Once Link was over the forest, he cut the engine and locked the wheel so that he could look overboard. He could barely see a thing, looking at almost pitch-black under a sky that would not even allow the moon through. Even more frustrating was the lack of Obeetans to guide him around; at this distance, even the shrillest scream had become a dull howl. However, with the storm around the island, infrequent bolts of lightning gave a flash that offered a brief picture of trees. Link located a road and let the outgoing island breeze nudge him toward it until he was able to set down. He dropped the sandbags and the net.

However, he did not descend until he had a lit lantern with him. Once he set foot on the ground, he held the lantern up to see what was around him.

"Well," he said to himself. "This isn't gonna be easy."

"You're probably lucky it didn't just let you fall over the edge," Janni told him as she floated down beside him.

Link glanced at the crude map in his other hand. "Leynne said there should be a rock in the middle of this road somewhere," he told her, tilting the map to let her see. "From there, we go left and just keep following the road to the mine."

"Yeah, good luck with that," Janni replied in a flat voice. She glanced around at the nearby trees just on the edge of the lantern's poor light. "The only way you'll find that rock is by _tripping_ on it."

"At least you'll get a laugh out of it," Link said as he started forward.

Janni, having touched her feet to the ground, fell into step behind him. "Yeah, I'd _love_ it."

"Have you been in these technoworks yet?"

Janni was silent for a moment, so Link glanced over his shoulder at her. "I don't really remember," she confessed. "I know the worksite around the mine, but I don't think I've actually been inside."

"I thought you liked going in them."

"I _love_ it. It's taken me a bit to figure out what theme it uses for each area, but I can't seem to remember _this_ one."

Link frowned and glanced over his shoulder at her again. "What 'theme'?"

Janni raised an eyebrow at him. "Yeah. I was trying to tell you about it while you were in the library. The theme in that technoworks is 'death'."

"Oh, that, huh? So what was the _river_?"

"Uncertainty."

Link tilted his head in confusion. "Uncertainty? You don't know?"

"No, the theme _is_ 'uncertainty'. Think about it, Link. You never really knew _what_ was there to kill you until it sprung on you. You got attacked by a _door_! _Twice_! And let's not forget the sisters."

"I wish you would…" Link groaned. "So, if you know the themes to the others, what are they?"

"You sure you don't want those to be a secret?" Janni teased.

"I think I've had enough of this place's secrets. C'mon, give."

Janni descended in front of him, causing him to suddenly stop. "Yes, sir, Captain Bossypants." She held up a hand and acted like she was pulling down a roll-up chart. The accompanying sound preceded the actual chart appearing behind her. Thanks to his attempt to use the technoworks in the library a few days ago, he recognized the image on the chart as an overhead map of Obeeta. Janni pointed as she explained, "You know the library and river's themes. The technoworks we're looking for, I'm not entirely sure. But the technoworks on the _west_ side are self-themed."

"'Self' themed?"

"The creatures in there act like living mirrors. They mimic everything you do. Sometimes, they won't even attack you unless you do something to attack them."

Link nodded. "I'll have to remember that one."

"The tower's theme… I haven't been able to put a name to it, but every floor of that tower contains something that doesn't like intruders."

" _Every_ floor?" Link asked. "How many floors?"

"About f—"

 _Wh-WHAMMMMMMMM!_ Link dropped his lantern and saved his face from hitting the dirt by stretching his hands out before him. He had been knocked forward by a combination of a violent quake and a powerful gust of wind from behind. Both forces continued their assault for several seconds, although Link was out of harm's way as he was. The tremor under his hands and stomach was a shock, something he had never felt before. Janni stumbled backwards until she decided to lift up from the ground again. She braced herself against the wind using her own pull-down chart.

Once the wind lifted and the shaking stopped, Link looked up. His lantern lay on its side, two of its glass panels shattered but still sporting a light. He grabbed it and looked up at Janni. "What was _that_?" he asked.

"I-I don't know," Janni admitted, her face reflecting Link's astonishment.

 _Grrrrrrrr—khrah. Gahhhh._ Link pressed himself to the ground again as the island beneath him shivered. The sound, a heavy grumble permeating the night, gave Link the impression of something massive moving nearby. He wished he knew what it was, only being familiar with the scale of such sounds and not knowing what the noise itself indicated.

However, his more pressing concern was _where_ it had come from. "That sounded like it could've hit the _Conductor_ ," he commented as he grabbed the lantern. Once he was on his feet, he stuffed the map into his pocket and placed his hand on the Sorian sword. He turned and held his lantern out at arm's length, trying to find a source along the path he had already walked. However, he discovered that the surrounding darkness was so thick that his light was not reaching the boat. "C'mon, let's go look."

"Don't you think you should worry more about the mine?" Janni asked.

"With something making _that_ sound behind me?" Link replied. "If _that_ follows me, I'd like to at least _know_ what it is."

"You know, I remember those Hylian settlers having an appropriate phrase for this kind of thing," Janni said as she followed in the wake of Link's lantern. "Curiosity killed… uh, some kinda animal."

"The rabbit," Link said. "'Curiosity killed the rabbit'. And I'm not being curious; I'm being _cautious_."

"Maybe _that_ should be it instead of curiou—"

Link hissed at her. "Shut up."

"Oh, what?" Janni whispered in response, confused by the need for silence.

"Just… just be quiet for a moment."

Link and Janni retraced the route they had taken in just a few minutes. And when they found the _Conductor_ , both of them could only stare in shock.

Because the _Conductor_ had been flattened into the ground. Other than some of the pieces around the thicker parts of the launch's engine, there was not a single unbroken timber or unbent pipe in the mess that had once been Link's faithful boat. The boat's structures were in the relatively correct places; they had all just been pressed into the dirt as hard as possible. The mast had been snapped in two. A thin trail of smoke snaking along the ground hinted at the last of the engine's life leaking away. Even more disturbing was the fallen trees on either side of the path, each of them snapped in two or even three places and crushed against the ground just like the _Conductor_ 's mast. Where Link stood, he was just on the edge of the area where the broken trees began.

"Wow," Janni commented in a quiet voice. "Guess I wasn't the _only_ one who didn't like that boat."

"What could have _done_ this?!" Link asked, his free hand stretched out to indicate the boat.

"Does that take a lot of imagination?" Janni asked with a giggle in her voice.

Link glanced at her to find her smirking at him. "I know _who_ did this," he told her. "But with _what_? And _why_? Are we in The Night's miasma now?"

"No, we aren't. But do you think that matters?"

Link heaved a sigh. "No, I guess it _doesn't_ …"

"There are a lot of things that don't matter. Like light, for instance."

"Light?" Link asked in confusion.

Janni put on a wide grin. "Didn't you notice the lightning's gone?"

Link slowly looked up at the sky. Through the trees around him, he saw nothing but black. But then, he realized how visible the trees were, how he could see their full colors when, a moment ago, he could barely make out their shape in his flickering lantern. He held the lantern up to his face. While it was lit, the light it gave off was barely a yellow glow against what was already there. Even both he and Janni stood in full light with shadows cast on the ground beneath their feet.

"What's going on?" Link asked, his heartbeat becoming a noticeable thump against his chest.

"Vengeance, probably," Janni answered in a casual tone.

Just as Link opened his mouth to ask another question, the air around them stirred. He froze and glanced into the wind, expectant of something to come charging from that direction. The wind became stronger, giving Link the impression that something large was coming his way. He drew his sword and dropped the lantern on the ground. But half a minute passed without anything appearing, and the wind grew even stronger. Link had to step back and brace himself to keep from being blown off his feet.

The last thing he saw was a pale-green mass dropping out of the sky above. Then he had the sensation of being pressed into the ground in just a split second, this dream ending around him with a sickening crack.


	31. Now Is Not a Good Time

Chapter 31: Now Is Not a Good Time

…

Link could not move. His whole body felt like a heavy sack of pain. He would have called out to Nester, but even breathing sent fresh waves of burning force through his chest. Every heartbeat felt like someone was stabbing him with a large fork. And he had had headaches in the past, but the throb he felt against his skull had the power of a sledgehammer behind it. This was not helped when he finally opened his eyes into a dimly-lit sick bay and felt the light stab into dried and screaming eyes.

His ears had been ringing when he first woke up. Just as the sound faded, he could hear someone ranting in a low voice. It took him a moment to recognize Nester as he said, "… care if you're just following orders. If you try to shove that sh—" Link could not see what happened to cause Nester to cut his voice off, so he forced his eyes to his left. Nester's weathered and creased face shifted from a deep scowl to pale surprise. "Leynne! Get in here _now_!" he suddenly hollered toward the front of the sick bay. He reached forward and ripped the bedsheet off Link, causing Link to flinch in pain.

"What is it!?" Leynne asked as he jogged into the sick bay.

"I don't know; he just woke up, and his breathing is erratic," Nester said as he yanked a stethoscope off his desk. Leynne stopped and leaned backwards just far enough to avoid having the stethoscope's drum swing into his eye. "Captain, can you hear me?" Nester called despite Link lying right in front of him. Link tried to respond, but his jaw was shut tight as he bore every ounce of pain. Even the weak grunt he forced through his lips brought a fresh stab to his chest.

"What's happened?" Leynne asked. Link attempted to force out sound again, but he could only show his grinding teeth. "Doctoh?"

"I can't tell like this," Nester replied as he pressed the stethoscope against Link's chest, inspiring more pain. "Captain, can you sit up?" Link gave a grunt and tried to shake his head. His best was a careful side-to-side rock that would not have qualified had Nester not been looking directly at his face. "Stiffness? Pain?" Link pressed his lips together to respond in the latter. However, what came from his lips was barely a puff of air before Link felt his answer rush through his chest again. "Pain?" Link's nod was rendered a brief shiver. "Okay, Number Two, here's where I need you," Nester said as he shuffled aside to give Leynne room. "Slide your arm under his shoulders and _carefully_ sit him up."

"Ah you cehtain he's well enough to move?" Leynne asked.

"I don't need him in a different room, Number Two," Nester told him. "Just do it slowly."

Link could feel Leynne slide a hand under his shoulders just as Nester had told him. Link was surprised to find that this did not cause any sort of pain. His relief was short-lived, though, as Leynne then lifted his back off the bed. Link thought his guts would rip open and pressed his eyes shut in anticipation. He let his arms remain limp, although the shift in position still aggravated his shoulders. Leynne had to twist and reach around with his opposite arm to force Link's head forward. Link could not help feeling like a ragdoll, although this thought did not last long as Leynne then clamped onto his right shoulder to keep him from falling over.

Nester pressed his stethoscope into Link's back, causing another stab of pain. "Captain, I need a deep breath," he said. "I can barely hear a thing." Link clenched the muscles in his chest and tried his best to draw in a deep breath against the pain. He shivered as he then breathed out. Nester grunted and shifted the stethoscope. "One more." Link repeated the breath and realized that, in spite of the pained shiver he still gave, it was not nearly as difficult as before. "Okay, Number Two," Nester said in an even tone. "Set him down carefully."

"The vehdict, Doctoh?" Leynne asked as he set Link down, much to the relief of Link's stomach muscles.

"His lungs sound fine," Nester said. "A little shaky, but not obstructed. That's the good news. The bad news is… well, I don't know what's wrong."

"Could he have a punctuh that you cannot account foh?" Leynne asked.

"That's what I intend to find," Nester said as he leaned in to tug at the loose opening in the chest of Link's bodysuit. Leynne stepped aside, allowing Nester to move closer to Link's chest. He pulled the slit in front of Link's bodysuit apart and used one hand to probe around Link's bare chest. "If he had a puncture, a lung would collapse to where he could not breathe at all. But it sounds like he's breathing fine now." He glanced down at Link's right hand. "No cyanosis, either. Captain, how are you feeling?"

Link took in a deep breath, yet again finding the motion easier, and responded, "Pain."

Nester traded a look with Leynne. "Well, that's a _little_ better," he commented. Then he asked, "Where at, Captain?"

Link steeled himself and answered, "All."

"All?" Nester repeated.

"As in 'everwheh'?" Leynne asked.

"Yeah," Link said.

"I'll draw up some painkiller," Nester said before leaving the table to go back further into the sick bay.

"What happened?" Leynne asked Link.

"Crush," Link said.

"Crush? As in… you weh—you weh _crushed_?"

"Yeah…"

Leynne stood up and called to Nester, "Doctoh, he was _crushed_."

"What?!" Nester hollered back.

"He was—"

"I _heard_ you, Number Two," Nester interrupted as he returned. "Goddesses above, I just don't _believe_ it. What did it?"

Leynne looked down at Link in expectation. Link answered, "Hand."

"A… a _hand_?" Leynne asked. "A hand?"

Link grunted when Nester unceremoniously stabbed a syringe through his sleeve and into his upper arm. "Giant," he said.

"A giant hand…" Leynne said.

"He must have pain nerves firing where even _I_ don't know exist," Nester said. "No wonder he couldn't talk. Must have been a fresh level of hell."

"Yeah," Link grunted.

"What did you just give him?" Leynne asked.

"Some of my better stock, same I gave to Geordie," Nester answered. "He probably won't be very coherent after about a minute."

"And what do you recommend foh a pehson who's just been crushed by a giant _hand_?"

"A manual resuscitator with a bladder the size of Castle Island, for all the good it would do," Nester replied in a flat voice.

"Doctoh," Leynne said, "I should hahdly think this is the time to joke."

"Yeah, yeah," Nester said with a sigh. "Well, the thing is I've never had to deal with full-body pain like this. A few _falls_ , but there's always been a definite _source_ of pain, a torn muscle or broken bones. I'm not sure how to deal with _this_ kind of pain. The best I can do is have him rest and observe how the pain progresses. Though…" He nodded at Link. "… Just judging from his ability to communicate with us now, it may be passing on its own."

Leynne pulled out his pocket watch and glanced at it. "It's hahdly afteh midnight. I'm afraid that, should he fall asleep again, he'll just try going back and get huht once moh." He closed the pocket watch with a heavy click. "You mentioned that a pehson undeh anesthesia doesn't dream. Could you anesthetize Link as you did Geohdie?"

"I _could_ ," Nester replied. "It wouldn't be my _suggestion_ , though."

"Why not?"

"The captain," Nester started before turning to Link and saying in a quieter voice, "No offense." Then, returning to Leynne, he continued, "Is still quite young and comparatively _small_. That shot I gave him has opiates in it. If I wanna put him under the same way I did Geordie, I'd have to use _another_ opiate. For a grown man like Geordie, it can be a little excessive. For the captain, it comes too close to triggering an overdose."

"Do you have anotheh method?" Leynne asked.

Nester heaved a sigh and scratched his head for a moment. "I didn't think to stock any, but I might have some ether around here. It's gonna make him sick to his stomach the moment he comes out of it, though."

"An unfohtunate side effect, but much moh favorable than letting him have anotheh incident," Leynne said. "Do it."

Nester gave his head a conceding nod. "If you say so."

Link tried to reach a hand up to find the pain still hampering his movement. "Don't," he told Leynne.

Leynne looked down at him and gently pressed his arm back on the bed. "It will be safeh this way, Link," he said. "We should try to reduce youh pain."

"Don't," Link repeated, although he had actually forgotten why he was objecting. Instead, he was beginning to wonder what Leynne would look like if he shaved his head.

"Doctoh?" Leynne asked.

"I've got it," Nester replied. "Get that bucket out from under his bed; he's gonna need it when he wakes up."

Leynne bent out of sight for a moment, and then he reappeared with a metal pail which reminded Link of a time when Line had made a bicycle using buckets as wheels. "How long will he be unconscious?" Leynne asked.

"Well, that all depends how much it takes to put him under," Nester said as he returned to the table. He held up a glass bottle to show Leynne. "He still has the painkiller in him, though, so this should be relatively easy. I can give you about three hours."

"That isn't enough time," Leynne said. "The Night won't go back to sleep foh anotheh _six_ houhs."

"It'll have to do," Nester said. "I have to keep giving this to him once he's out. And ether is a relatively dangerous anesthetic; the longer I keep him under, the longer I have to accidentally overdose him. Besides…" He shook the bottle. "… I don't have much left."

Leynne sighed. "All right. But the moment you cannot keep him undeh anesthesia, make suh he stays awake."

"I know, I know," Nester said as he hooked a foot around his desk chair to pull it next to Link's bed. As he sat down, he asked, "How are you feeling, Captain?" Link's best response was a chuckle that only caused a dull throb in his belly. Nester raised his other hand, revealing an egg-shaped wire device with a few layers of gauze covering its exterior. He carefully pressed this device over Link's nose and mouth. "Captain, I'm gonna give you the ether now. I need you to start counting backwards for me, starting from thirty."

"Ye-okay," Link replied, his mind giddy. "Thirty… twenty-nine… twenty-eight… twenty-seven… twenty-five… twenty… four… twen…" The last of Link's thoughts faded into darkness.

"Captain?" But then Link could still hear Nester nearby, so he tried to force his eyes open. The sick bay light stung, and he had to blink to get them to moisten. His bleary vision turned to find Nester (or, rather, half of Nester with the bucket in the way) seated at his desk. "It's time to wake up."

Link breathed out a heavy sigh and tasted a hint of sugar on his breath. He rolled onto his side and pushed his elbow into the mattress to prop himself up.

That was when the room spun. Nester caught the bucket just as Link knocked it off trying to reach over the bed. "In the bucket, in the bucket!" Nester hollered.

Link vomited just as Nester thrust the bucket forward, the last of his dinner sandwich a disgusting, rancid taste on his teeth. He coughed twice before another wave of nausea left his stomach empty. He let his head hang over the side of the bed while drool and vomitus dribbled out of his mouth. His guts felt like they had been tied into knots. His face burned like it had been exposed to a flame. Then, after a few minutes (and some spitting), Link rolled onto his back and looked at the deckhead.

"Sit up and drink a bit." Link glanced to his left as Nester held out a cup toward him. With one hand braced in the nearby bulkhead, he picked himself up and took the cup. He sipped on cool water, sloshing some around in his mouth to fight the vomit taste caught in his teeth. "Is that better?"

"Yeah…" Link croaked.

"Good. How do you feel?"

"I, uh…" Link glanced down at himself. Other than the front of his bodysuit being tugged out of place (which he straightened so the material was lying flat against his chest again), he replied, "I feel all right."

"You sure? Three hours ago, you could barely talk to us."

"Three _hours_?" Link asked. "But… that was…"

Nester nodded. "Anesthesia. That's what made you throw up, too."

Link looked down at his shoulder and rolled it around. There was still a dull ache in the joint, but he could move it once again. The same could be said for most of his body (except his abdomen), and even the headache he had felt earlier had lost its bite. "Looks like it was only pain this time."

"I couldn't find any bruises or anything," Nester told him. "When you first woke up, I thought you had lost a lung or something."

Link tried to remember what it had first been like when he had awoken, but any memory of the event before Nester knocked him out completely escaped him. So he asked, "Was it _that_ bad?"

"All I know is you were in pain and not breathing right," Nester replied. "You couldn't take a good breath, but there weren't any signs that your _lungs_ were impeded. We got lucky I didn't have to actually open you up. This is not the ideal place for surgery."

"Good work anyway, Doctor," Link said as he turned to lean his back against the bulkhead.

However, Nester shook his head. "I'm afraid you don't get it, Captain. I was in the dark. Without you talking to me, I had to _gamble_ my way through your health." Link felt the smile and color fall from his face. "My only shot was more information, more observation. I would've preferred you staying awake. Putting you to sleep was _much_ riskier if you had an injury I couldn't see. With the blood loss you've had in the past few nights, an untreated injury might've killed you."

The sick bay fell silent for a moment. The best Link could respond with was, "… oh."

"But!" Nester then said with a finger raised. He turned to his desk. "I have a solution which we might be able to try." He retrieved a clipboard from his desk and offered it to Link.

Link found that Nester had made a list on a blank sheet of paper, his words large.

—Burn

—Sharp

—Dull

—Needles

—Tingling

—No Pain

—Cut

—Crush

—Broken

—Bite

—Amputation

—Choke

—Suffocated

—Drowned

Those words took up the left side of the page, arranged in a column. The right side of the page was a vertical scale of numbers 0 through 10 and a vaguely human-shaped outline using a pair of crosses for eyes. Link blinked in confusion and asked Nester, "What's this?"

"The next time you can't tell me what happened, we can use this. Granted, it's only useful if you can _point_ , but short of blinking once for yes and twice for no, this is the only way to get some reliable information. The only other alternative I can think of is asking you _not_ to get hurt. This week hasn't really been your week, though."

"It's a good idea, doc," Link replied. "I just hope I'm not _that_ hurt again."

…

"9/25, Expedtion Day 43.

"I woke up this morning after being crushed by The Night. The best that I can remember was that my whole body was in so much pain that I couldn't move. Leynne told me that I didn't want to be put to sleep, but he also commented that the painkiller Nester gave me was strong enough that I was giggling. He said that I told him I had been crushed by a giant hand. I guess it sounds right.

"I think it's safe to say that The Night wasn't pulling any punches last night. Janni might be right; this time around, The Night might be trying to do some damage."

…

 _Bum bum._

Taking a nap in the early afternoon proved to be difficult due to something striking the ship somewhere. Link had not noticed it while on-deck, and he had dismissed it while filling out the ship's log as maybe someone walking around outside. After lying in his bed for about an hour to try regaining the sleep The Night had denied him by killing him again, Link finally deigned to sit up on the edge of the bed and look around the cabin for the source.

 _Don don don._ He heard a knock on his door instead. "Link, ah you awake?" Leynne called from the other side.

"Yeah…" Link moaned. Then, figuring that Leynne might not have heard, he said in a louder voice, "C'mon in."

Leynne opened the door. "I hope I'm not distuhbing you," he said.

"No, it's okay," Link replied with a sigh as Leynne shut the door. "I wasn't sleeping anyway."

"I just thought I'd ask foh pehmission befoh I sent out a shoh pahty."

Link looked up as Leynne stepped in front of Link's desk. "Shore party? What for?"

Leynne crossed his arms. "Well, I'd noticed that, up until now, we've had the fohtune of knowing wheh the technowohks ah befoh we've even had to seahch. It occuhs to me that, once you finish with the mines, you'll need to know wheh the last technowohks is in shoht ohdeh."

"So you… wanna send a shore party to find the last one," Link reasoned.

"Of couhse."

Link thought the idea over for a moment. He had no doubt that his crew all understood their situation and were perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. Knowing where the technoworks was in advance would probably save them a day or two searching, should Link clear out the mines in the next couple of days. But then, Link thought back to his experiences this morning. The Night may well be on a rampage of its own. Link could scarcely imagine what it would be like _outside_ of a dream. Janni may have been vague about what would happen if The Night decided to attack someone in the real world, but he still remembered that she had said something like "if a person who goes into The Night doesn't kill himself, his companions would have to kill him". Link could not have been close to those mines, and The Night had not hesitated to increase his suffering. And it had seemed lately that The Night was revealing new ways of torturing his crew just when it might look like they had gained an advantage.

So Link's answer was, "Not yet."

"Captain?" Leynne asked, his tone confused because not only was he not expecting Link's response, but he had been distracted by the striking sound coming from the room's timbers.

Link looked up at Leynne again. "Not yet," he repeated. "Right now, The Night is mad, and it's gonna defend itself."

"What betteh time to seahch?" Leynne suggested.

Link shook his head. "Leynne… did you look at the island today?"

Leynne gave a soft scoffing sound. "I'd much ratheh believe that I just happen to have a bluh in my eye wheneveh I happen to look stahboahd."

"Leynne, some of the buildings fell over yesterday morning." Link's words caused Leynne's right eyebrow to raise. "The Night caused the island to shake so bad that they fell over. And last night, it didn't let me anywhere _near_ the mines; it crushed me on the forest path. It acted the same way when I got it out of the library's technoworks, except I think it might be _worse_. I don't think we should try sending out people to actually _look_ for it."

"I assuh you that I've been keeping the crew infohmed of ouh findings," Leynne said.

But Link shook his head again. "It's not enough. At night, The Night releases a kind of miasma that it uses to grab people. If anyone had been in that library that night we found it, The Night would've grabbed them. And I've already told you what Janni told _me_ about anyone who gets caught."

"I know you've mentioned Janni indulges in the truth because she takes some pehvehse pleasuh out of it. Should we—"

"She told me about the buildings."

"—really be so… I'm sohry, what?"

"She pointed out the buildings to me," Link repeated. "She warned me _both_ times after I removed The Night from the technoworks. This whole thing with me dying in the technoworks didn't start until after that single time I went into the library's technoworks. Janni's warnings are… what's the word I'm looking for? Exact? Right on? She's been _living_ in the shield for years, and she's seen what The Night does. I know it seems a little crazy to rely on her word when I'm the only one who talks to her, but I really think we should listen."

Leynne, with his arms still crossed, twisted side to side as he thought to himself. In the brief silence, Link took note that he could still hear something striking the deck. If it had not been so weak, he might have recognized what was making the sound.

"Pehhaps you'h right, Link," Leynne told him. "But one question remains: when?"

"Probably when Janni starts finding my… _deaths_ interesting again," Link said, daring to crack a smile. "She and The Night seem to have the same sense of humor. Unless I can get into the technoworks tonight and clear them out without getting killed, it might be a few days."

" _Should_ you cleah them out tonight, we would still have to find the last technowohks," Leynne pointed out.

Link nodded. "We have the controls in the library technoworks we might be able to use. Then again, The Night just might lead me to them to torture me some more."

"Yet it wouldn't let you _neah_ the mines," Leynne reminded him.

Link gave a shrug. "The Night could come onto the _Symphony_ each night and bash my head in, but it doesn't seem to think it's worth it yet."

Leynne nodded his understanding. "Yes, it _is_ just as Nesteh said; The Night has a sadistic streak. Eitheh way, we know you can't avoid going into the dreams once again."

Both of them fell silent. _Bum bum. Bum bum. Bum. Bum bum._ And in their silence, their attention turned to the striking sound. Link asked himself, "What is _causing_ that?"

"It sounds as if it's coming from the boat deck," Leynne told him, his eyes on the deckhead. "Did something happen to the _Conductoh_ last night?"

"Well, whatever crushed me turned the _Conductor_ into a _pancake_ first," Link said. Leynne gave him an intrigued look, so he explained, "I found out that whatever I grab and use in the dream isn't affected otherwise. I've taken a pocket full of nuts and a rigging knife from the spare parts stores down below, and they're still there when I wake up. So I tried it with the _Conductor_. There shouldn't be anything wrong with it."

"A moment," Leynne spoke up, holding up a finger to silence Link. "Back when you cleahed out the library technowohks, we also found out that you can distuhb Obeetans from theih sleep by hitting them. As I recall."

"Yeah?" Link said, confused by the change in subject.

"And judging from youh experiences in youh dreams, The Night can be quite violent," Leynne said.

"Yeah, it gets pretty bad down there," Link confirmed.

"Ah the technowohks affected by The Night?" Leynne asked. "I know it can control them, but can it _hahm_ them?"

"Yeah," Link nodded. "We even saw full necrosis in the library."

Leynne let Link's words hang in the air. When Link still looked to have been struggling with the conversation, Leynne finally pointed out, "Link, the _Conductoh_ doesn't use the same ballast as the _Island Symphony_."

Link knew very well that the _Island Symphony_ used Loft Steam, the same gas-based substance used by every airship in Hyrule. And he knew this so well because he, along with Leynne, Lidago (one of their Goron crew), and Luggard (a train engineer on the surface) had nearly been taken away by a tank full of Loft Steam that had decided to go for freedom. The _Conductor_ 's ballast system was constructed while the _Island Symphony_ was on the run. Leynne built the system concurrent to Sello constructing the engine that everyone now feared. Because they could not put into port to build one with a Loft Steam ballast…

They used technoworks blocks from a rock field south of West Iron Island.

"Oh, no…" Link groaned. He pushed up from his bed and rushed past Leynne, grabbing his tunic off his footlocker on his way to the door. "I didn't even _think_ about that!"

"Link!" Leynne called, hustling out the door after him.

"Is Irleen still on-board?!" Link asked as he rounded and climbed the stairs outside his cabin, his tunic already pulled on.

"No, she went to the library with Line and Cale again," Leynne answered.

"Layna!" Link shouted.

"What?" Leynne asked. "What is it?"

"If the technoworks are hurt, we need Irleen," Link replied, stopping in the middle of the quarterdeck to spin toward Leynne. "She's the only one who knows how to fix them."

Link then spun again just to collide with someone. He bounced off whomever was standing in front of him, but, instead of falling backwards like he felt himself starting to do, that same person quickly latched onto his shoulders to stop him. "'Inu mibathifak, My Kyabtin."

Link looked up to see Layna holding onto him. "Oh, right," Link said. "Thanks, Layna." Layna just stared, her expression a blank, innocent look as opposed to the concentrating stare she had in Kill Mode. Leynne stepped up behind Link, causing Layna to look up. Then, as if she realized what she was doing, she released Link. It caused Link to snap out of his own scrutiny of his subordinate. "I want you to take Twali and go to the library. We need Irleen back here as soon as possible."

"Ay'a, My Kyabtin," Layna said with a strong tone.

However, instead of running for the stairs, she ran _at_ the port staircase, jumped onto the outside, and then simply sprang over the railing at the front of the poop deck. From behind, Link heard Leynne sigh. "I truly wish she would us—" Leynne started to lament.

"GYAH!" came a feminine holler from above. "LAYNA!"

After being surprised into silence, Leynne finished, "… use the staihs."

Link was just turning toward the door to the boat deck when Leynne suddenly shoved him from behind. It was less a safety measure and more just a reaction to seeing two bodies falling from the poop deck nearly over their heads. Link turned just in time to see both Layna and Twali land on the quarterdeck and tuck themselves into a roll. They sprang up just as fast and leapt the railing at the front of the quarterdeck onto the main deck.

This prompted Link to holler at them while they were running toward the gangplank, "Use the stairs, you two!" Then he turned and told Leynne as Leynne opened one door to the boat deck, "I hate when they do that."

 _Kkkkk. Kkkkkk._ Both Link and Leynne paused when they heard the sound of wood grinding wood. Then Link immediately strode forward to check the supports holding the _Conductor_ up from the deck. His first thought was that one of them might have come detached from the deck. But the moment he put his hand against the boat's hull to lean over and check— _Kk—Bang. Kk—Bang._ —he knew Leynne's fear was correct. It was hard to feel the sway of the _Island Symphony_ in the wind, but it was easy to tell when the _Conductor_ was swaying with it because there was always that little bit of give in the rope that let someone nudge the secured launch. The banging sound was being caused by the _Conductor_ 's hull, the front of its keel pressed to the ship's deck, pivoting its stern and striking hard against the rear supports. He gave a sigh and stood up. "It's the boat," he told Leynne. "It's not sitting right on the supports."

Leynne stepped forward and grabbed the foremost rope holding the boat down. He gave the rope a strange look as he tugged on it. "This rope is too loose," he reported.

"Then there might be something wrong with the forward ballast," Link said as he indicated the rear of the deck to Leynne. "Let's go check it out."

"I don't know that I can get undeh the deck anymoh," Leynne said as Link rounded the aft of the _Conductor_.

"Why?" Link asked.

"Well, if Dubbl is to be believed, I've been a typical Hylian and gotten _fat_."

Link, stopping at the first rung of the boarding ladder, turned to see Leynne pat his stomach. He took a moment to scrutinize Leynne before saying, "Really? It doesn't show."

"Dholit says it's a fohm of jesting that Gelto women do," Leynne said. Link started up the ladder as he added, "Ostensibly, it is a fohm of projection when a Gelto thinks she's become pregnant."

Link was almost to the top of the ladder when he froze. "P-pregnant?!" he hollered. "Are you serious!?"

"Yes," Leynne replied, giving him a grin. "Dubbl's confihmed, but she tells me she's also not joking about my gaining weight."

Link clambered over the transom and stepped to one side to allow Leynne to board. His stomach twisted. As much as he knew Leynne and Dubbl had been trying for a year, the thought of them having a baby _now_ caused the color to drain from his face. He thought back to "Logan" and immediately began fearing for them. How long did it take for a baby to be born?

"Link?" Link jumped and spun around to find Leynne standing behind him. "Ah you all right?"

"No…" Link uttered. Then he quickly shook his head. "I, uh, I mean _yes_. Yes, yes, that-that's great to hear. I just…"

Leynne nodded. "I know. As much as I would enjoy announcing to the whole crew, this is quite possibly the _wohst_ time to conceive."

"Have you told Nester?"

"I'd ratheh we waited foh the next time we retuhned to the Poht," Leynne admitted.

"How long ago did this happen?"

Leynne crossed his arms. "Well, if we'h to assume by the time she stahted grousing about my weight, neahly three weeks ago."

Link pressed his eyes closed with a hand. "When she was too sick to work her shiiiiiift…" he moaned.

"I'm sohry I couldn't have infohmed you befoh. This didn't come to light until just a few houhs ago."

"No, I jus—…" Link paused and sighed. "You're right, this was possibly the _worst_ time for this to happen."

"I'll ask Nesteh to confihm the pregnancy foh us," Leynne told him. "In the meantime, we should see what kind of damage we have."

"Huh?"

Leynne pointed at the deck. "The _Conductoh_."

"Oh," Link uttered just as Leynne got his words out. "Right, uh… where are the technoworks blocks?"

"Theh ah access panels inside the deckhouse," Leynne said, brushing past Link to lead him in that direction. "Since we gutted the deckhouse, they should be relatively easy to reach. Uh…" He paused as they took the five steps down into the empty deckhouse. "The panel foh the fohwahd block covehs a nahrow gap; you might squeeze through it better."

Link nodded. "Okay. Can you check the aft blocks?"

"Dubbl hasn't told me I'm _that_ fat," Leynne replied as he stepped to one side of the stairs and started pulling on a wood panel only barely nailed to the aft bulkhead.

Link strode forward and found that one panel on the front was askew from the bulkhead's timbers. He fit his fingertips in a small opening and found that the panel had been barely nailed to a supporting frame. So Link pulled off the panel and crawled into the opening. He was only halfway in when he found the narrow gap Leynne was talking about. He twisted and pulled himself through, having had plenty of experience climbing through the _Grand Sails_ ' interior structures looking for things his shipmates had lost. His hands found a thin cable hooked to the timber almost directly in his face, forcing him to turn and climb the other way around a support beam in his way. When he saw the orange glow above his head, he turned so that he could crawl on the now-visible deck structure closing off the boat's original ballast tank. He had to squeeze through more support structures, including the hull's interior vertical members. The block he was looking for was cradled in a metal frame secured directly under the weather deck.

And, upon seeing a section of the side face visible to him flashing bright pink over its orange and yellow natural color, Link sighed and let his head thud against the deck.


	32. Ivory Guard

Chapter 32: Ivory Guard

…

Nearly two hours passed before Irleen returned. And, as Link and Leynne felt they should have foreseen, Layna had breached common sense. She did not merely bring Irleen to the ship; she had caught her in a bag and swiped her translating gem from Cale before anyone had realized that she and Twali had shown up. She had also reinterpreted Link's standing order against traveling alone, claiming (through Dubbl) that she had not violated the command since she had carried Irleen with her. This, naturally, had caused Link to scream that, when he had issued that order, he had intended for the airmen wandering together to watch each other's back. How clear the message had been depended on how seriously Layna could take Link with Dubbl translating in a tired tone and Leynne trying to hide his grin behind a hand. Adding to Link's frustration was that this exchange took place in the middle of the main deck, catching the attention of the current deck crew and whoever else had wandered up from below. Just like Leynne, the crew had found his disproportionate butt-chewing amusing, and Link had to admit to himself afterwards that forgetting the horrors of the past few days by being his impatient self and chewing out Layna for reinterpreting orders again had helped him relax a bit. By the time Leynne conducted him and Irleen to the boat deck, he began hoping that Layna was not too upset by his outburst. Even among the Gelto crew, Layna had a penchant for bizarre and unpredictable behavior, and Link would probably have to apologize to her, if anything else to get the image of her dejected puppy face off his conscience.

After what must have only been a minute of looking, Irleen fluttered out of the _Conductor_ 's deck house to converse with Leynne and Link. "Well, it's probably about as bad as you think," she said.

"We won't get the _Conductor_ off the deck?" Link asked.

"Oh, uh… okay, maybe not _that_ bad," Irleen admitted. "The thing is, the block still _works_ , just not as well. The two in the back look okay, but that one up front took a bit of a beating."

"How badly does this compromise the _Conductoh_ 's flight capability?" Leynne asked.

"Well, that depends," Irleen said.

"Depends? On what?"

"On what the _hell_ that means," Irleen snapped.

The next sound Leynne made fell somewhere between a sigh and a growl. "Without testing it, do you know how well the _Conductoh_ can fly?"

"Sorry, Leynne. I can't be _that_ precise."

Link scratched his messy, blond mane. "I wish I'd known this would happen…" he groaned.

"As it is, The Night is still consistent with the problems it provides," Leynne pointed out. "Ihleen, can the damaged block be repaired?"

"Not here," she replied. "It needs to be healed inside one of the technoworks. It'll probably have to be the one connected to the library."

"A question," Leynne said. "Should one of these blocks be destroyed in the couhse of Link's attempts on The Night, could we hahvest anotheh?"

"These blocks are the same as the technoworks under the islands, so, yeah," Irleen answered. "It might take some work because I don't know _how_ to do it, but it should be possible to pull out a block if we need it."

"Can't we just…" Link tapped the Sorian bracelet on his left wrist, alluding to its ability to affect technoworks blocks so that they could be removed. "… use this?"

"Only if you wanna risk burning a hand off," Irleen said. "Besides that, the block has to be sealed and its gap closed, otherwise part of the technoworks will begin to die. Don't you remember the mess the Lizalfos made of the Might Island technoworks?"

"Oh, yeah…" Link muttered as he dredged up memories of Might Island. It had been one of his more perilous adventures, not at all helped by the heat generated by a disassembled technoworks. He also recalled that it was the one island where Layna nearly died fighting Cunimincus' men. It quickly turned into a reminder of Layna's own frailty despite her training, and he quickly forced the memories to the side. After all, if he understood one thing about Layna, it was that Layna did not like being held back just because she might die. He glanced at Leynne and asked, "How much longer until The Night wakes up?"

Leynne pulled out his pocket watch to check it. "About three houhs." He closed the watch with a click and said, "This will mean checking the blocks afteh each night."

"Only if the boat gets destroyed," Link pointed out. He nodded at the deck house. "How easy is it to pull that block out?"

"I installed it," Leynne said. "I can't fit in theh anymoh, but I should remembeh enough to talk you through removing it."

"Go get whatever tools I'll need," Link told him. "I'll take it to the library to see if we can't heal it."

…

Link desperately wished that Leynne had still fit. While Link did not lack the elbow room to work nor was light much of an issue since the block still bore its bright glow, he did not like swinging a screwdriver around until stabbing his own hand because Leynne was trying to give him directions based on his two-year-old memory of the mechanism. This was compounded by the fact that, once he had the frame under the shutter loose, the lower assembly suddenly swung out and forced the handle of the screwdriver to smack the bridge of his nose. More annoying still, once Leynne remembered it, he explained to Link that he actually had _not_ used the access panel at the front of the deckhouse precisely because the timbers had been in his way; instead, he had cut his own access in the bow of the boat, which he demonstrated when he leaned his upper half through it to help Link wrestle the block to the weather deck.

One of the benefits of an active technoworks block was that it was not heavy. Appropriately weighed down by a pair of sandbags meant for the _Island Symphony_ , it was as if they had turned a brick into a balloon. Once the block was secured to both the sandbags and Link, Link took Irleen and Layna back to the library. They encountered Line, Cale, and Twali at the edge of the settlement, and Link told Line to come along while Cale and Twali continued back to the ship. Line, naturally, complained, but Link's reasoning was clear when they reached the library; Link needed more weight to pull the block into the technoworks. Line was helpful in dragging the technoworks block further down into the technoworks since adding just Layna barely got them past the first two floors of the library. Even this was insufficient to drag the block into the technoworks, but Link was prepared with extra rope. Line supplied some of the library's heavier books, allowing them to tie on more weight without having to return to the ship for additional crew.

They had the block settled in front of Link while he stood in between the control columns at the bottom of the technoworks. He had to take a moment to find the command note on his blues harp again, and the technoworks put together the list on either column. Link still felt a little disappointed as Irleen fluttered over the purple-colored options on the columns, knowing that he still needed to remove The Night from the rest of the technoworks in order to get it to work correctly.

"Okay, Line," Irleen said as she stopped next to one word. "Push this one."

"Click," Line said as he touched one finger to the bullet Irleen indicated.

"'Click'?" Link asked.

"Yeah, 'click'," Line replied.

"Are… you making that noise on purpose?" Irleen asked as a new list appeared on the column.

"Yeah."

"Why?" Link asked.

"Because it's a button," Line answered. "Buttons go 'click'."

Link exchanged a look with Layna and shrugged. "It's not a button," Link told him.

"If I can push it, it's a button," Line said.

"If I can push you, are _you_ a button?" Irleen asked.

"You can't push me," Line said.

"I'm pushing you now," Irleen said.

Line blinked in confusion. Then he slid a hand in the large space between him and Irleen. "No you're not," he argued.

"Yes I am," Irleen replied, her tone sounding smart.

"You're not even _touching_ me."

"I'm still pushing you."

"In what way?"

"In a way that counts."

"Wha-huh?" Line waved his hand in the space between them again. "How?! There's no contact!"

"Line, just stop," Link groaned.

"She's not even making any _sound_!" he whined at Link.

"Don't need to," Irleen said as she shifted up and down looking at the new list.

"Yes you do!" Line hollered.

"Would you just drop it!?" Link snapped.

"Well _she_ started it!" Line hollered.

"Layna."

Line started and snapped a glance at Layna as if just remembering that she was nearby. "Please don't do it," he pleaded to Link.

"Push this one, Line," Irleen said.

"Huh?" Line asked.

Irleen jerked in the direction of one of the bulleted items. "Push. This. _Line_." Line blew a short raspberry and used his pinky to touch the bullet. A flock of blue particles fluttered into the room from the doorway and formed a square patch of light on the wall directly in front of Link.

Link glanced at Irleen and asked, "Is it supposed to do that?"

"I think so," Irleen said. "Line, Layna, shove the block against the wall. Make sure it _touches_ the wall."

Line and Layna strode forward and lifted the bunch of books bundled by two loops of rope. The task was relatively easy since they just had to grab the lengths of rope between the block and the books; the block did the rest. Layna steadied the bundle with a hand as they pressed it against the wall. Both then started backwards when the light from the wall flowed onto the block. Link glanced at Irleen and found her watching a series of hash marks on the nearby column as they disappeared one by one. When the final mark faded away, the blue light on the technoworks block shifted back onto the wall, where it then scattered apart. Layna and Line quickly grabbed a rope as the block started to rise from the floor.

Link stepped forward and glanced over the block for a moment. Its surface had changed back to the steady orange-yellow swirl of color without a hint of red on any face. "Looks good," he told Irleen.

"Yeah, but you _definitely_ have to be careful with them," Irleen said. "As long as the block is still whole, we can repair it with the technoworks as many times as we need. But if _necrosis_ sets in, it's useless."

"Did you find any controls for separating another block in case we need it?" Link asked.

"I suspect it's one of the functions that we can't access," Irleen said, shifting sideways to indicate the damaged column. "While we're here, though, why don't you command the technoworks to heal again? Maybe that'll fix it."

"Sure," Link said, already stepping back into place. He played the command note again, and the lists formed on either side. One finger hovered over the list as he tried to remember which one started the task. "Which one? This?"

"The one above it," Irleen said.

Link pushed the appropriate bullet, and the surrounding light lowered while the list disappeared to form the blue ring on the floor. He stepped into the ring and watched the emeralds on his blues harp. It showed him the same song he had played only five days ago. The fact allowed him to begin playing sooner, and the technoworks around him only gave a small grinding sound. Other than the light slowly returning to the surrounding technoworks, nothing appeared to change as far as Line and Layna could see.

Link finished playing the song and pulled on the command note once more. He looked at the damaged column to find that two of the four darkened options appeared in full blue once again. "So it worked?" he asked Irleen as she hovered over the restored list.

"It looks like it," she agreed. "But we'll still need to clear out the technoworks; it still won't let us make another Sky Line."

"Ugh," Line grunted.

"It's not as if we can leave anyway," Link told him. Then he asked Irleen, "But can we get another block if we need it?"

"Yeah, _that_ option's there," Irleen said.

"Okay," Link said. He glanced up at the ceiling as if trying to check the time in the sky. "How long have we been here?"

" _Too_ long," Line answered. "Let's get outta here before the locals show up."

"Agreed," Irleen said.

…

Taking the block back to the _Island Symphony_ proved to be a little trickier. With it now operating at full strength, they had to keep a few of the books with them to counterbalance its wish to fly away from them. All three of them had to hold the ropes, and they still needed both sandbags and five books to weigh it down enough to walk across the island. This walk was particularly eerie since the daylight had died faster. Link had to fire a green flare down the road so that they could finish navigating out of the settlement. Someone on the _Island Symphony_ must have mistook it as a signal because they fired a green flare into the air a moment later. This helped, however, because they needed a better guide back to the ship than just walking toward the dull light on the horizon.

Leynne was still awake and greeted them as they boarded. All four of them took the block to the boat deck and continued to use the books and sandbags to keep enough weight on it while they dragged it back into the _Conductor_. This time, Leynne coaxed the block back into place and re-secured the frame. Once again, the _Conductor_ was sitting properly in its supports.

Link took a few minutes to wash himself with a rag before going to the sick bay. Nester told him about feeding Geordie some lunch and a few scraps for dinner before sedating him again. Geordie would still need a few days for his major injuries to show signs of healing, but Nester explained that even Geordie eating so little was an improvement.

Link then went to bed in the sick bay. Again, he felt as if he had not gone to sleep at all. But when Leynne peered into the dim sick bay, Link sat up and addressed him only to be ignored. So, he dressed and put on his equipment.

He met Janni outside the berth deck. She stood with her arms crossed and one brow cocked. "Well," she said. Her next words included a bit of a giggle. " _That_ didn't go too well."

"To say the _least_ ," Link agreed as he stepped toward the port staircase. "You were right; it's _worse_ than before."

"But you're still gonna try, huh?" Janni asked as she followed him down.

"I don't have much of a choice," Link said. "Same as before."

"You _could_ at least take a night off," Janni suggested.

Link stepped up to the spare parts bin and grabbed a handful of nuts. "It's not gonna happen, Janni."

"Yeah, I know," Janni said with a sigh. "Somehow, it just _feels_ like I should be giving you ominous warnings whenever you wake up here."

Link gave her a confused look. "And you _enjoy_ that?"

"Oh, I _love_ it," Janni replied, although her tone made it difficult for Link to tell if she was being sarcastic.

"Right," Link grunted as he hefted a rope onto his shoulder. "You remember what the theme is for this technoworks yet?"

Janni shrugged, an exaggerated motion with her arms up in the air as if indicating mild surrender. "It's a mystery," she told him.

Link sighed. "Right. We probably won't find out until we actually get _into_ the mines. How about The Night? Still moody?"

Janni gave him a flat look. "Do I _look_ like its mother?"

"If I had to guess? I'd at _least_ say it's _daughter_."

"Oh, the cruelty…" she said as he stepped past her.

"W—don't take it _personally_ ," Link said, pausing at the base of the stairs to look at her. "I was just making a joke."

"I wasn't," Janni said as she floated toward him. "If I took it personally, I'd probably kill you in some horrific way, too. You know, being the _daughter_ _of The Night_."

Link stared at her for a moment. "So, you're not mad, then," he guessed.

"Not in the way _you're_ thinking," she answered with a wide grin.

Link started up the stairs as he said, "You'd think I'd remember that every now and then…"

As Link stepped onto the deck, he could tell there had been a definite change. The lights in the bulwark were out; instead, lanterns had been mounted to the masts and the exterior bulkheads at either end of the main deck. This cast the main deck in an even glow. Lanterns had also been mounted on the railing at the top of all six staircases connecting to the main deck. The night shift had also changed its routine. While Gold still watched the ship from the forecastle, Hunter stood on the quarterdeck rather than the poop deck. This met with Link's approval since the poop deck was far too dangerous to walk at night with a large hole in the middle and only a waist-high bulwark. Lwamm, Twali, and Layna now patrolled the deck in a line from the rear bulkhead to the forward capstan. Although they could not see over the edge, Link was certain that this was much more acceptable. If any of them felt sleepy, they would likely choose to rest on any of the three capstans on the deck rather than try sitting on the bulwark. Memory of Ray's nearly-fatal plunge over the side might have provided more incentive to stay away from the edges of the ship. Curiously, Flower did not seem to be on-deck. Then Link remembered that he might have been seeing to Beech.

He continued to the boat deck and took the _Conductor_ out again. This time, he dared to put a little more power into Sello's engine so that he could steer the boat into a larger arc around the island, giving the tower a wide berth in case The Night decided to simply swat the _Conductor_ out of the sky. He explained this reasoning to Janni, but Janni only grinned and shook her head. Link took this to mean that he was still going to suffer no matter what he did.

As Link steered the _Conductor_ toward the same area where he thought he had landed the previous night, he saw that the area had completely changed. A large, stone building replaced the forest, at least on the path that Link was supposed to take to the mines. And Link could see this building because someone had placed torches around the outside. One path was also illuminated with torches, so Link maneuvered the _Conductor_ toward the farther reaches of the path thinking that the light would be safer for him to walk along. Janni suggested that he could just land near the mouth of the building or even above the entrance so that he did not risk encountering a trap along the path. Link almost argued the point with her, but then he considered that, since Janni was a lot more familiar with how The Night generally worked, he heeded the advice and directed the boat back toward the building.

He settled the _Conductor_ until he could hear tree branches scraping the hull. Then he went to dump one of the sandbags overboard. He paused to look at Janni, who sat on the bulwark on the port side away from the building. "Do you feel like helping?" he asked.

She gave him a sidelong glance. "Not really," she said, her voice betraying a lack of interest.

Link's look turned suspicious. "Are you… bored?"

Janni sighed. "Let's face it, Link. You're just gonna get killed again. I really don't think The Night's gonna entertain you with the prospect of hurting it again."

Link shoved the sandbag off the transom and turned to her with his arms crossed. "Maybe it will, or maybe it won't," he said.

He was about to say more, was about to explain that he had to try whenever he had the chance, when he heard something rustle in the brush below. And he knew that it was something at ground-level because it sounded different from the wind-blown branches scratching the boat's keel. He put both hands on the transom and leaned over to look down. In the torchlight, he identified movement through the trees and tried to follow it.

The last thing he saw, and he barely noticed it until it was nearly on him, was a line of black flying toward his face.

Then he woke up screaming, both hands pressed against his left eye. He writhed on the bed until he felt weight on his chest, and, in surprise, he raised one fist and started striking someone's head.

"Somebody give me a hand in here!" Nester shouted. "Captain, stop _hitting_ me!"

A moment later, someone grabbed Link's flailing arm and pinned it to the bed. Link opened his right eye to see that Lawrence held his hand down. It helped remind him where he was, and he put effort into trying to control himself. He could not keep himself still, feeling that at least moving around gave him some method of coping.

Nester stood up and told someone else, "Hold his legs; I don't feel like getting kicked." Link felt weight fall on his legs and glanced down to see Gillam pressing down on them. Nester brought his face closer to Link's face and asked, "What happened?"

Link breathed heavily through his teeth, trying not to scream out again while trying to tell Nester what he needed at the same time. Nester did not wait for an answer. He stepped away from the bed. When he returned, he held up his chart while telling Lawrence, "Let him go." Once Lawrence released Link's arm, he slapped his hand back over his eye with the other hand. Nester tapped the clipboard. "C'mon, Captain, tell me what's wrong." Link looked at the list. Then he took his right hand away from his face to point to the word "Sharp". Nester glanced at the clipboard. "Sharp pain? On your eye?" he asked. Link nodded. "What happened?" Nester asked.

Link formed a fist with his hand and hit the bed. Nester looked down at the hand, and Link repeated his action. "What is that, Doc?" Lawrence asked.

"Stabbed?" Nester asked. "Were you _stabbed_?"

Link nodded. "I… think," he said through his teeth.

"Can I see it?" Nester said as he set the clipboard down.

Link took his hand away, revealing that his eye was closed. Nester carefully placed one hand on Link's forehead and carefully used his finger to draw the eyelid open. Link flinched as light poured into the eye, the sensation sharp as if it was being stabbed again.

Lawrence and Gillam, both watching, jumped away from the bed upon seeing a red eye staring back at them.


	33. A Look In the Night

Chapter 33: A Look In the Night

…

"You took an _ahrow_ to the face?"

Link nodded, his eyes cast to his lap. "At least, I _think_ that's what it was," he said. "I didn't get a good look at it."

"Let's see."

Link looked up and allowed Leynne to hold his chin so that he could turn Link's head and see his left eye from different angles. No matter what, the white of Link's eye was unmistakably blood-red. His blue pupil appeared unaffected, but that seemed to just add to the horrific image of Link's newest injury. If Leynne had been caught off-guard by this revelation, he might have run from the sick bay screaming, too.

The night was shaping up to be a bigger disaster than just being killed by The Night once again. It started when Gillam bolted from the sick bay and onto the main deck screaming that Link was possessed. Layna was in the sick bay in minutes with a blade at the ready, Kill Mode the only thing on her face. Nester had to warn her back and set Lawrence on Gillam to shut him up. Leynne heard the commotion from the galley and stepped up into the sick bay to find out why.

"This is… pahticulahly horrible," Leynne said. He looked at Nester, who was searching one of the shelves in the back. "Doctoh?"

"It looks worse than it is," Nester replied. He found a small bottle on the shelf and brought it back to his desk, where Link sat. "It's called a subconjunctival hemorrhage. What's happened is one of the blood vessels in his eye, maybe more, have burst open. It was probably stress from being _shot_ in the eye, but I'm just a doctor; all I can tell you is _what_ it is, not _how_ it happened."

"How serious is it?" Leynne asked.

"About as serious as a paper cut, really," Nester said as he popped the bottle open. He pulled a pill out and gave it to Link. "Here's an aspirin for you."

"Thanks," Link said.

"So… he's had a _papeh cut_ on his eye?" Leynne asked.

"Actually, it's not all that risky," Nester explained. He paused to put the cork back on the aspirin. "It's just a thin layer in his eye that blood leaked into. It's more like a bruise, but its contained just outside the white membrane of his eye."

"Can you see?" Leynne asked Link.

"I see just fine," Link said, indicating his unaffectedness with a shrug.

"He's hardly gonna notice it," Nester said. "The affected area only covers the sclera, so it doesn't affect his vision."

"And it doesn't huht?" Leynne asked Link.

"Well, it feels a little sore," Link admitted.

"That would be The Night's usual doing," Nester said. "The pain stopped just as quickly as it usually does."

"Why the aspirin then?" Leynne asked.

"Headache," Link said.

"I can only imagine what his head must feel like after being _squashed flat_ last night and then taking an arrow to the face _this_ night," Nester said. He turned to Link. "The eye thing will sort itself out in about two weeks. Just try not to press on your eye a whole lot."

Link nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Doctor." He stood up.

And he immediately realized that Layna, having stood beside him the whole time, was blocking his way. He looked up at her to find a sad look on her face. "What's wrong, Layna?" he asked.

"'Inu mitixaylya'ak 'inu nayx laxom boytakwit My Captain ura My Captain ya'lu yisikr 'immu a'ib," Layna replied, her voice a little choked.

Link and Leynne traded looks. "I… suspect she still may be a little upset by youh outbuhst this aftehnoon," Leynne said.

"Oh," Link uttered. "That, huh?" He met Layna's eyes. "Look, Layna, I know I was kinda hard on you earlier about bringing Irleen back the way you had. I just… I'd like you to be a little more careful around here. And I want to be _able_ to keep an eye on you in case something comes up. Okay?" Layna nodded.

"Is this the paht wheh you have to kiss heh?" Leynne asked.

"Huh?" Link asked, turning to him. "Uh… I-I don't _think_ so…" He looked back at Layna to discover that she was simply walking away. "Oh. I, uh… I guess not."

"Aaaah," Nester growled with a dismissive tone. "Plenty of opportunities to kiss a girl around here."

"Provided you _suhvive_ the confrontation," Leynne said over his shoulder. He crossed his arms and turned back to Link. "So, Captain. It isn't even _midnight_ , and you've retuhned spited once again. What's the plan now?"

"I don't know," Link said as he made to gather his tunic and trousers. But then, he stopped as he heard grunting from the front of the sick bay. He and Leynne turned as Lawrence entered, his short frame burdened with Gillam, who showed signs of only being half-way conscious. Leynne had to move aside as Gillam dragged himself onto the bed Link had been using. "What happened to him?" Link asked.

"Well, 'e ran up on deck 'n tried t' tell Twali 'n Lwamm ya'd go'en possessed," Lawrence explained. "Dholit translated for 'im, 'n Lwamm was tryin' t' tell 'im there's a reason for i'. Bu' 'e wouldn' stop screamin' a' 'er, so she decked 'im a good one."

"Well, I suppose _Lwamm_ finally undehstands how things happen around heh," Leynne commented. Link shot him an annoyed look. "Let him sleep it off."

"Excuse me, Leynne," Link uttered as he tried to squeeze between Leynne and the desk. Leynne stepped aside to allow Link to move to the bed with his gear. He started to put on his tunic while he said, "I think I'll just stay up the rest of the night. The Night didn't even let me make it off the launch, so I doubt I'll be getting any farther today."

"What about the _Conductoh_?" Leynne asked.

Link was just about to pull on his trousers, bent forward with one foot raised. Then he hissed through his teeth as he stood up. "Shit…" he said. "Right, let's go look at the _Conductor_. Just let me put my trousers on."

…

"9/26, Expedition Day 44.

"The Night shot me in the eye with an arrow. I now have a bright red bruise on the white of my left eye. I think it creeps out the crew, so I've been trying not to look people in the face too much. But I think it's safe to say that The Night doesn't feel like playing around. I didn't even get off the Conductor before The Night killed me. I just might have to wait a little longer this time, but I don't know how much longer my crew can wait."

…

After checking the _Conductor_ (and finding that The Night had at least spared their precious launch) and filling out his log, Link spent the rest of the early morning hours trying to keep his crew going. Just as Leynne had said, the combination of the adjusted schedule and alcohol shots were allowing most of the crew to stay awake through the night. The only exceptions were Cale and Lilly, both of whom Link found nodding off in the galley.

 _WHAM!_

So Link slammed a fist on the table. Lilly started awake and looked up at him. Cale, who had fallen asleep sitting up, jerked and fell backwards off the bench.

 _Whump!_

"Sorry, you two," Link said. "But I need you to stay awake for just a few more hours."

"Thanks, Captain," Lilly said with a tired sigh. She put an elbow on the table and raked her hand through her long, loose, brown hair.

"Ugh," Cale groaned as he stood up. Then, upon looking at Link, his eyes opened wide. "L-Link? Youh… youh _eye_ —"

"It's all right," Link told him, raising a hand to calm him. "Nester says it's just a bad bruise in my eye."

"Can I see?" Lilly asked. Link turned to show her his left eye a little better. "Oh, _wow_. It hurt?"

"Not anymore," Link replied. He gestured toward his eyes as he elaborated, "It only bothers me if I touch it or if the wind gets in it."

"Wha-what happened?" Cale asked.

"While I was in the dream, I took an arrow to the eye," Link said. Cale grimaced. "Yeah, that's about as bad as it's been."

"Oh, right," Lilly said as she moved to one side. "Flower said you were gettin' killed in yar dreams."

Link sat down next to her while Cale returned to his seat. "I've been killed…" He paused to count on his fingers. "Six times now, even after I've cleared out a part of the technoworks."

"How many moah do you have to cleah out?" Cale asked.

"Two, at least," Link said. "But the mines are turning out to be a problem; I haven't even been able to step inside before The Night gets me."

"You took _three_ nightzza get the second one cleared," Lilly pointed out. "Maybe the next night'll be your lucky night."

"I hope you're right," Link said. He glanced back and forth at them. "How are _you two_ doing?"

"Unfohtunately," Cale spoke up, "abstinence in the name of education has not been treating us well."

"Abstinence in th—you two make out _all the time_ ," Link said.

"He means _alcoholic abstinence_ ," Lilly said in an irritated voice. "Not that we gotta been in much mood for _that_ , either."

"Oh, what?" Link asked in concern. "Is it the nightmares?"

"Bingo."

"The Night seems to have elaborate methods to how it tohtuahs us," Cale said. "Last night, I dreamt that I was… eh… helping…" He gestured a hand at Lilly for a moment, his face indicating embarrassment. "… haah un-undress, and… well, when haah shiht came off, haah head had tahned into that… enohmous _beetle thing_ that tried to kill us."

"'Enormous beetle thing'?" Link asked. "You mean that one from the forest two years ago?"

"Unfohtunately. I've had nightmaahs about it befoah, but… at least its head was attached to its _own_ body."

"I gotta not seen the same stuff as him," Lilly spoke up, "but my nightmares are just as bad. I once watched Captain North _shoot_ him to death."

Link scratched his head for a moment. "Weeeeell, I don't mean to criticize or anything," he said, "but _everyone_ has that nightmare about Captain North."

" _I_ did," Cale added.

"Well, how many of you boys hadda watch yar bleedin' boyfriend _crawl_ towards ya 'til he was shot in the _head_?!" Lilly snapped. Both Cale and Link sat up a little straighter, wide eyes focused on her glare. She caught herself and took in a deep breath. "Sorry, guys," she said in a calmer voice. "It… it wasn't very pleasant to watch. And that wasn't the worst one. I once dreamed that Cale and I were tied together, face'a face. Then I found out what we were hangin' by."

"By what?" Link asked.

"Cale's neck." Link and Cale shared an uncomfortable look, Cale's face growing pale in the flickering of the galley's electric light. "Every time I see a rope… I-I kinda feel a little sick."

For a moment, only the groaning of the ship's timbers commented on the subject. Then the trio heard footsteps descending and glanced toward the stairs as Stan, the night shift's cook, set foot in the galley. Stan was a little plump, but his arms were thick with just as much muscle. His normally clean-shaven face was covered in stubble, and his beard looked as if it had more grey in it than usual. The dark circles under his eyes backed up the appearance of not having had much sleep or time to keep himself groomed. Even his usual apron was missing, leaving him in a plain, stained, white shirt and work trousers hitched above his belly button.

"G'mornin', Captain," he greeted in a rough voice, tapping his forehead in a weak attempt at a salute. "Chief, Lilly."

"Hey, Stan," Link said weakly.

"Hey," Lilly chimed while Cale said, "Good mohning."

"Captain, I thought you'd be sleepin'," Stan said as he started across the galley.

"I got woken early," Link said, pointing to his eye.

Stan, walking behind Cale, had to stop to get a good look. He leaned across the table, and then he sucked in air between his teeth. "Ow," he grunted. "Can you see all right?"

"Yeah, it's fine," Link said.

"Supahficial, evidently," Cale said.

"I don't need any o' your fancy words, Chief," Stan grunted.

"R-right," Cale replied.

"Any more of that chili left?" Lilly asked.

"Amazingly, no," Stan said as he stood straight again. "I was gonna save the next batch for dinner. Right now, I gotta clean the oven out."

"I'll help," Lilly offered as she stood up.

The flickering light chose that moment to give up, casting the galley into blackness. Lilly cried out, and Link felt the bench jerk.

"Lilly!" Cale hollered. This was followed by— _Wham!_ —a solid body falling hard to the deck. "Ooooh…"

At about the same time, Link felt something grab the shoulder of his tunic. "Yikes!" he cried out as he was then pulled backwards.

"Ah!" Lilly hollered as she felt something fall on top of her.

 _Whump!_ "D-ow!" Link cried out upon feeling a new ball of pain on the right side of his head.

"Oh, is that _you_ , Captain?" Lilly asked.

"It _was_ ," Link groaned as he rolled onto the deck, holding his head in pain. "I can't tell anymore."

"What happened?" Stan asked.

"I-I punched the captain," Lilly answered.

"I meant the _light_ ," Stan growled. This was followed by a loud slam from somewhere in the kitchen, which resulted in Stan living up to the reputation of traditional sailors if in muted tones.

Link pushed himself up from the deck. "Everyone, stay put," he ordered. "The generator must've finally given up."

"Y-you mean… n-no moah lights?" Cale asked.

"Just keep calm," Link said toward the direction of Cale's voice. He used a hand to identify where the bench was and pulled himself to his feet. "I'm gonna see if I can find a lantern or something."

Link used his hand to follow the table to the front end of the galley. After that, he just guessed the general direction of the port staircase and drifted toward it with his hands reaching forward. He nearly walked into the corner of the staircase's surrounding bulkhead, but his forearm brushing against it saved him from injury, and he rounded the bulkhead to ascend to the cargo hold.

Near the top of the steps, he perceived someone coming down and called out, "Who's there?"

"It is I, My Captain, youh mysterious woman of the night."

Link's words spoke of his annoyance as he replied, "Hi, Dholit."

"Oh? Is that all ouh relationship has come to?"

"Not now, Dholit," Link groaned. "I need to find a lantern."

"Yes, things down heah do seem to be a little dahk," Dholit said. "What's happened?"

"I think the generator died," Link said. "Do you know where the lanterns are?"

"At the fah end, I think."

Link started forward and bumped into her. "Whoops."

"Oh, I wasn't ready!" Dholit whined. "You _must_ let me tahn so you might meet a _softah_ paht!"

"Oh, _stop_ it," Link snapped as he stepped aside and moved toward the back of the hold. "Go back up and tell Leynne that we don't have any light down here."

"Aye aye, My Captain," Dholit answered.

Link stumbled into a few crates looking for the lanterns. He felt that Leynne would have left the crate open so that he did not have to search again. This was a problem because the crates he was nearly crashing into were closed.

Light flooded the room behind him a few minutes later, and he turned to find Leynne entering the hold with a lantern. "We've lost poweh?" he asked.

"Yeah," Link answered. "I thought you mounted the lanterns."

"My priority was the weatheh deck," Leynne said as he walked across the hold. "I'd ratheh not have anyone else fall ovehboahd because they couldn't see the deck. I'd hoped that it would last a little longeh foh me to ready the lantehns below-deck."

"Well, for now, we can settle for a lantern here and there," Link said as he followed him toward the back. "There shouldn't be anyone in the orlop, but the engine room might need a few. So will Nester."

"Most everyone is on-deck right now," Leynne said. "I don't know wheh the rest ah."

"In the galley," Link said as he watched Leynne shove the loose lid of a large crate to one side. "That's where I was."

"I'll have to mount the lantehns once we have daylight," Leynne said as he pulled two fresh lanterns from the crate. "Unless… pehhaps I should make it a choh foh tonight." Link gave him a confused look, wondering if he was being sarcastic. When Leynne turned and caught the expression, he further explained, "To keep the off-duty crew from falling asleep."

"Oh, okay," Link said. "Good idea."

Leynne pulled out another lantern and handed it to him. "When you'h done with it, just leave it on the table; I'll mount it when I get the chance."

"Okay. Can you light it?"

"Oh." Leynne set aside the unlit lantern in his other hand so that he could pull a tinderbox from one pocket of his slacks. He produced a match and struck it on the strip inside the lid of the tinderbox. Link opened the lantern and held it steady as Leynne lit the candle on the inside. "Okay," he told Link. "Can I ask that you take some to the galley?"

"Yeah, I'll grab a couple," Link told him. "I'll get the galley and the engine room. Go take care of the sick bay."

"Right," Leynne said as he took two more lanterns by their hanging rings, grabbed the lit lantern from atop a nearby crate, and rushed across the hold toward the berth deck.

Link stepped up to the crate and retrieved two more lanterns before returning to the galley. Once down the stairs, his lantern illuminated Lilly and Cale on the floor near the table. Stan stood against the counter, rubbing his aching knee. "You guys okay?" he asked as he moved across the galley toward Lilly.

"Yeah…" Lilly groaned as she and Cale stood.

"Was it the generatoh?" Cale asked.

"Leynne'll probably look at it later," Link said as he put the lanterns on the table.

"Captain, we heard Beech hollerin' from his room," Lilly spoke up.

Link glanced down the galley toward the officers' quarters at the front. "Oh, right…" he mumbled. He turned back to Cale. "Cale, take one of these lanterns down to the engine room and ask if they need any more." He opened the lit lantern and carefully removed the candle. Lilly quickly moved to Link's side and opened the other two lanterns. Link glanced past her. "Stan, we'll leave one of these for you."

"Sound's good, Captain," Stan grunted as he began approaching the table.

"Lilly, I want you to come with me," Link continued as he carefully applied the candle to the other lanterns. "We'll check on Beech."

"Okay," Lilly said as she closed the lanterns.

Link replaced the candle. However, a drop of wax caught his finger just before he could release it. "Ouch," Link breathed, quickly withdrawing his hand.

"Are you okay?" Lilly asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Link answered, shaking the pain out of his hand.

"Are you sure?" Lilly asked. She took his hand into hers as soon as he stopped shaking it.

"Yeah," Link said as she examined the hand. "Trust me; I've had worse _all_ week." He withdrew his hand and looked over at Cale. "Cale? You all right?"

Cale blinked and shook his head. "Sohry, Link," he said. He reached across the table to pick up a lantern. "I will see to the engine room."

"Thanks," Link said. He closed and picked up the first lantern. "C'mon, Lilly."

Lilly trailed behind Link as he walked to the quarters. Beech had been placed in the last door on the left side. Link passed the lantern to Lilly and took the key off the nearby wall. He unlocked the door and carefully opened it.

"Someone there?" Beech asked. Link opened the door to let in more light.

Beech, sitting in the far corner in front of the closet, started. Link, however, felt more surprised. Beech's eyes looked so sunken that they were in shadow even as he looked at them. Without his shirt on, his skin looked ghastly, his stomach almost hollow. Link was not even sure if this man was the same as the man who had joined his crew a few months ago.

Link shook the shock off his face. "Are you doing all right in here?" he asked.

"I'm, uh…" Beech tried to answer. He looked around. Then he said in a raspy voice, "Yeah, I'm okay. Just panicked a bit when the light went out. Hit my shin on the desk."

Link stepped inside. He immediately noticed a rancid smell and glanced down at the trashcan beside the desk. It was a regrettable action, so Link quickly moved closer to Beech so he did not need to see it. "Are you sure?" he asked, squatting to look Beech in the eye. "You look a little sick."

"Well, uh…" Beech twitched his neck. "I-I haven't been able to keep things down the past two nights," he admitted. "You see… the, uh… the nightmares have been keeping me awake. They make my stomach turn. Ley-Leynne said that the shots would help us sleep this afternoon, but I… can't… seem to stay awake these past two nights."

Link glanced back at the bucket. "Why didn't you tell someone? Why didn't anyone know about this?"

Beech looked down at his lap. "I, uh… I hid the bucket," he admitted. He pointed to the cavity beneath the desk. When Link turned to see, he also saw that the edge of Beech's desk looked to have been scratched. "A few wood scrapings, and the smell isn't very noticeable."

"But _why_?" Lilly repeated for Link.

"I d—… I don't know," he said, his face wide with revelation. "Up until a few minutes ago, it all made sense. Now, I just…"

"It's all right," Link told him after he showed no signs of finishing his thought. "We'll leave a lantern in here for you, and I'll send someone to take that bucket out. But if this continues, you _need_ to see Nester. If we have to, we'll move you back to your berth."

"No!" Beech snapped. Link started, surprised by the outburst. But Beech quickly realized what he had done and shook his head. "Sorry, Captain. I just… somehow, this _feels_ comfortable."

Link glanced around the room again. "Okay, well… the next time I have to bring it up, it'll be an order," he said. "You may be in confinement, but you're not gonna _suffer_ like this when it's not necessary. Understood?"

Beech nodded eagerly. "Aye aye, sir."

Link stood up and moved back to the doorway. "Don't forget; you're gonna have a baby waiting when we get home."

When he turned back around, Beech looked up at him with a soft expression. For a moment, Link felt like he could see the old Beech still in the haggard man. "Yes, sir," he told Link.

"Here," Link said, holding out his hand to Lilly. She gave him the lantern. "Lilly, the next time he comes up here, let him have some water so he can bathe himself a bit," he said as he placed the lantern on the desk. He took one last look at Beech. "Try your best, Airman," he said. "We need you."

"I will," Beech said as he carefully rose to his feet. He snapped to attention and saluted.

Link grinned at him and returned the salute. Then he closed the door, locked it, and replaced the key onto the nail halfway protruding from the bulkhead.

Once they were back in the galley, Lilly spoke up, "It's a good thing he didn't see your eye."

"My eye?" Link asked. Then he remembered the injury he had received in the last dream and put a hand over said eye. "Oh, right. That might've been bad."

"Yeah."

"Look, I'm gonna go upstairs and talk to Nester. Uh… I guess… just go about your usual routine. If Nester needs a hand, give him one."

Lilly nodded. "What about the bucket?"

"As soon as Nester's done, either take it out and dump it or have one of the deck crew get it," Link said. "Whatever way keeps someone _else_ from throwing up."

"I'll figure something out," Lilly said.

Link parted and went upstairs into the hold again. He heard something moving at the far end of the hold and saw Leynne, along with Lwamm, Gold, and Hunter, pulling more lanterns out of the crate. So he approached them and called out, "Hey, Leynne."

"Cahful, cahful," Leynne was cautioning Hunter as he gave the man three lanterns in one handful. "We've only got so many." Once Hunter had them, he looked over his opposite shoulder and past Lwamm at Link. "Yes, Captain?"

"Hey, uh…" Link scratched his head for a moment. "We… might need to look into moving Beech."

"What foh?" Leynne asked.

"The Night's been getting to him, just like we thought," Link replied. "He's been puking into his trashcan and covering it up, and he doesn't know why."

"You gotta be _kidding_ ," Hunter accused.

"'E a'right?" Gold asked.

"A little sick, but that's about it," Link replied. "He hasn't been able to keep dinner down; he's been throwing it up because of nightmares for the past couple days."

Leynne nodded. "I thought isolating him from the crew would be a problem," he said more to himself than Link. Then he asked, "Do you have any suggestions?"

"We might need to put him back in his _berth_ , at least," Link said. "Locking him in a cabin was a mistake; with The Night getting to him, he _needs_ to be watched. I'm going to talk to Nester, see what he thinks."

"If he's bad off, Nesteh will likely agree," Leynne said. "I'll handle the ahrangements as soon as we have some of these lantehns installed."

"Thanks," Link said.

Then he turned and walked into the sick bay, now newly illuminated thanks to a pair of lanterns on both Nester's desk and a set of shelves in the back. Nester was losing a fight to sleep at his desk, his feet propped up. Link stepped up beside him and gave his shoulder a light slap.

Nester started and caught himself on the edge of the desk. "What the—oh," he uttered once he saw Link. He took his feet off the desk and spun the chair to face him. "Something wrong, Captain?"

"It's Beech," Link answered.

"What is it?"

"He hasn't been able to keep down his dinner for the past two days. The Night wakes him up with nightmares, and he just throws up in the trashcan. He's looking pretty bad."

"He can't stay awake?" Nester asked as he slid forward in his seat, preparing to stand.

Link shook his head. "I guess the nightmares disturb him enough that he can't hold anything down at night."

Nester heaved a sigh and scratched the back of his head. "I guess we should be thankful he's the _only_ one. I'll go look at him in a moment."

Link nodded. "Thanks, Nester. I'll be on-deck if anything comes up."


End file.
